Hungary’s National Safety Laboratory has every capacity to detect and treat Ebola, Minister of State for Health Gábor Zombor said at a press conference held at the laboratory last Wednesday.
The Minister of State said the European Union treats the disease as a priority but so far there has been only one case of infection in Spain.
He also talked about an EU meeting held in Brussels where officials presented their contingency plans and the help countries could offer to other member states. He said Hungary offered protective equipment and disinfectants and pledged that the National Safety Laboratory will accept samples for tests from both EU and non-EU countries.
Hungarian Deputy Chief Medical Officer Attila Kovács said the virus is fairly delicate and within proper conditions of hygiene it would be short-lived, and given the high quality of public health and hospital services in Hungary, even if the virus reached the country, it would not cause an epidemic. He said Hungary is also prepared to transport home any infected Hungarian from Western Africa and that the hospital designated for treatment holds daily simulation exercises.
Minister of State Zombor also said the laboratory can determine within six hours whether a sample contains the virus and has the necessary equipment to detect and combat the disease. He added that in line with an EU agreement, Hungary will not step up its border controls and would not employ infrared cameras at Hungarian airports since there are no direct flights to and from Western Africa.