Safe port and Ebola Virus

To minimize the risk of contracting Ebola when in a high risk area, the Club recommends to seafarers the following steps :

• Good personal hygiene at all times with regular hand washing.

• Avoid shaking hands with local authorities, agents and stevedores, etc. in the affected areas.

• A bucket or wash station containing chlorine, water and powdered soap should be placed at the gangway for all persons boarding the ship to wash and disinfect their hands. Similar wash stations should be placed in other prominent locations on the ship.

• No direct bodily contact should be made with local individuals, whether they are suspected to be infected or not.

• All crew should be monitored for whether they are displaying any symptoms of Ebola, and if any are observed, this should be immediately reported to the Master, local authorities and the UK P&I Club.

• Where possible, contact should be avoided with any severely ill people and seafarers should not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected persons blood or body fluids.

• Avoid funeral or burial rituals that require handling the body of someone who has died from Ebola.

• Avoid contact with animals or with raw meat.

• Avoid hospitals where Ebola patients are being treated. Embassies or the local Club Correspondent may be able to provide advice on facilities that are suitable for the seafarers needs.

• Medical attention should be sought if any crew members develop fever, headache, achiness, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes.