Tom PowellA SECOND Spanish priest has been diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus, while working in Sierra Leone, and flown back to Madrid for treatment.
Manuel Garcia Viejo, 69, arrived in Spain on a military plane soon after 3am this morning, before being transferred to the Carlos III hospital.
He had been working as a medical director at a hospital in the city of Lunsar when he tested positive for the virus, after which he asked to be taken home to Spain.
The first Spanish missionary to contract Ebola, Miguel Parajes, died in Madrid in August after being flown back from Liberia.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date and the World Health Organisation has declared an international health emergency.
So far this year, more than 1,000 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
There have been Ebola scares in Alicante and Malaga, but both cases were given the all clear after an initial warning.
Just hit the news that a nurse treating this man has been diagnosed with the disease. She has been on a break with her family and at least thirty people have been in contact with her. She is now being treated in this same Madrid hospital where she contracted it, (despite strict hygiene protocols.)
Should we start being afraid?
Never liked the idea of moving infected people to other countries to be treated. I think the risks are just too great. May seem a bit harsh but people working in these places know the dangers. Now there is an infected lady being flown to Oslo…..
One nurse with this, is not something to fear (although it’s obviously bad for the nurse and their family). But given the number of passengers flying into big hubs like New York, Paris, London every day from Africa, should we be concerned that carriers of the disease are already here? This will only need to get a little worse and then travel will be prohibited. Worrying times for anyone working in the tourist industry.