New Brunswick nurses prepare for Ebola

The president of the New Brunswick NursesUnion says there isno time to wait when it comes to preparing for any potentialcases of Ebola.

Marilyn Quinn was one of about 11,000 nurses from across North America, Spain and Liberia who took part in a conference call on Thursday to discuss the threat they're facing.

It comes on the heels of news that two nurses in Texas have contracted the deadly virus, and anEbola scarelast weekat the Dr.-Georges-L.-DumontUniversity Hospital Centre inMoncton.

I can safely sayearlier this week we had concerns that they didn't have the best equipment," Quinn told CBC'sInformation Morningin Frederictonon Friday morning.

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"We've worked with employers. We're still in that process and we're following up now to see that there were some changes being put into place. It's about does every single unit need it? Do we need to make sure we have targeted areas? So we're following up on that now.

Quinn says she isconfident the province does have clear protocols in place.

And recent changes have been madeto ensure health care workers in the province are as prepared and protectedas possible, she said.

The focus is now on making sure people on thefront lines, including nurses, have the best protective equipment available and the information they need, such ashow to safely put on, take off and dispose of protective gear, she said.

Quinn says the risk of Ebola in Canada is low.

"I think where we're anxious is around how many times we have to go through situations where we have to question if were prepared? We lived through SARS in this country, and out of that we learned one thing, that we need to adopt the precautionaryprinciple," she said.

We can't wait for scientific certainty. If we know theres a potential risk, then we have to err on side of safety. So thatmeanswe have to have the best equipment, thebesteducation and the best trainingavailableto be prepared.- Marilyn Quinn, New Brunswick Nurses Union

"We can't wait for scientific certainty. If we know theres a potential risk, then we have to err on side of safety. So thatmeanswe have to have the best equipment, thebesteducation and the best trainingavailableto be prepared."

Whether protocols are clear enough and whether nurses practise enough havebeen concerns for several years, said Quinn.

"If youre a firefighter, youre drilling all the time so that when that moment happens, you have a prepared workforce.

"Our test is, isthe nurse whos working in the emergency room at 2 a.m. in this province and someone comes through the door and gets picked up in the screening does she have the equipment, does she know the protocol, is it ready to go into action?

"So that's why we're talking and sharing information," she said.

International health authorities are currentlytrying to contain what is being called "the largest and most complex" outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in history.

The death toll so far in the outbreak, first reported in Guinea in March, has reached 4,447 out of an estimated 8,914 cases thought to be infected, according to the World Health Organization.

Symptoms of Ebola generally appear within two to 21 days of transmission.

They initially include sudden fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat, according to the WorldHealth Organization. Next, a patient will demonstrate vomiting,diarrhea, rashand symptoms of impairedkidney and liver function. Some people will have internal and external bleeding as well.

There is currently no known treatment or licensedvaccine.