ORF.at, online edition, January 10, 2020
Patients infected with highly contagious diseases can only be transported with special equipment. Lower Austria is said to be prepared for this. The responsible special infection control and support unit has been restructured.
Ebola, smallpox, and other viruses spread rapidly. In suspected cases, patients must be transported by rescue organizations wearing special protective equipment to protect other people, including emergency workers, from infection. When Ebola cases emerged worldwide in 2014, Lower Austria also prepared for the emergency. A new transport system for highly infectious patients was funded by the state of Lower Austria.
Although no Lower Austrian citizen has contracted such a highly contagious disease in the last five years, the system has now been further developed into the Lower Austria Special Infection Control and Support Unit. This collaboration between the state of Lower Austria and the rescue organizations Red Cross and Workers' Samaritan Federation (ASBÖ) is intended to help provide the best possible protection for the population, as well as paramedics and medical personnel.
Airport poses potential dangers
While the aim is not to spread fear, State Councilor Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ) nevertheless emphasizes that it is important to be prepared for emergencies. "We are a high-tourism country," the State Councilor stated. "You never know whether citizens of other countries might bring highly infectious diseases with them to Austria." The airport in Schwechat (Bruck an der Leitha district) in particular poses a special security challenge in Lower Austria.
The unit comprises a total of four locations. The Bruck an der Leitha, Korneuburg, and Horn offices are operated by the Red Cross. The ASBÖ operates the St. Georgen location (St. Pölten district). Purchases are funded by the state of Lower Austria. Emergency medical services personnel receive annual training in contamination emergency response. Thirty volunteers from Lower Austria have completed their own training in infectious disease transport and are available at any time in the event of an emergency.
