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Korean health worker being monitored for Ebola

January 2, 2015
The foreign and health ministries said in a joint statement that the unidentified worker may have become infected as he was exposed to the contagious virus while collecting blood from an Ebola patient. (Yonhap)

The foreign and health ministries said in a joint statement that the unidentified worker may have become infected as he was exposed to the contagious virus while collecting blood from an Ebola patient. (Yonhap)

By Yi Whan-woo

A Korean health worker in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone will undergo 21 days of monitoring to determine if he has contracted the deadly virus, the government said Friday.

The foreign and health ministries said in a joint statement that the unidentified worker may have become infected as he was exposed to the contagious virus while collecting blood from an Ebola patient.

They added the worker will be carried to a hospital in Germany, Saturday (KST), for monitoring for a three-week period ― the maximum incubation period for the virus.

If confirmed as positive, he will be the first Korean Ebola patient.

The foreign ministry tried to quell speculation that the patient has been infected with the virus, saying it has yet to be confirmed.

“A medical worker from the United Kingdom, who touched a needle while working on an Ebola-hit scene, was found to be clean after and being kept in quarantine for the next 21 days,” said Oh Young-ju, director-general at the foreign ministry’s development cooperation bureau.

The Korean worker’s left index finger “touched” the needle through a partly ripped glove, according to the government. It said the worker did not sustain any external injuries and has not shown symptoms of infection such as fever or vomiting.

The health worker is one of a 10-strong medical team sent by Korea to an Ebola clinic built by Britain in Goderich, near Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown.

Korea’s first medical team kicked off its four-week mission on Dec. 27 in Sierra Leone. It plans to send a total of 30 medical workers in three batches to the West African country.

Seoul has joined global efforts to fight Ebola by sending medical workers and offering a combined $12.6 million in assistance. The virus is estimated to have killed more than 7,900 people since December 2013, according to the World Health Organization.

The transportation plan is part of Seoul’s preliminary deals for Ebola cooperation with Europe and the United States. If a Korean medical worker becomes infected with the virus, he or she will be transferred to a hospital in Europe.

“The decision was made based on the principle that the safety of a Seoul health worker should be prioritized,” Oh said. “Regardless of the move, Korea will dispatch other medical personnel as planned.”

The second batch is expected to leave Seoul on Jan. 10, with the remainder likely to be sent on Feb. 7, the government said.