Georgetown, October 13 (NNN-RHC) -- Guyana has a mass preparedness campaign on stream for the Ebola virus and over 1600 medical personnel are to be trained on dealing with the disease, said Dr. Johanna Cole, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) Internal Medicine-Infectious Diseases Consultant.

According to the Government Information Agency, she was speaking at a Continuing Medical Education (CME) session Monday at the Regency Hotel, in Georgetown.

Cole said that 1,600 medical professionals are to soon start training on dealing with the virus, and administering care to persons who have contracted the virus as opposed to those who are suspected to have it.

In addition, she said that emphasis will be placed on safety and precautionary measures for health care providers, who may come in contact with an infected person or environment, as the Ebola virus is highly contagious and spreads rapidly through direct or indirect contact with bodily fluids.

Over 4,000 persons have now died from the hemorrhagic disease in several West African countries and its virulence and the absence of a vaccine has stirred worldwide anxiety. The U.S. and Spain have now reported one case each of health workers infected by patients from West Africa who were being treated at health facilities.

The Ministry of Health in Georgetown has said that surveillance at ports of entry has been stepped up, particularly on persons who have traveled from West Africa.