Health Minister, Dr Fenton Ferguson, has made a special appeal to front-line workers to assist in the country's response to Ebola.

Speaking at the recent handover ceremony for the Guidelines for the Operation of Funeral Establishments and Mortuaries, Ferguson said it is important that everyone participates in the process of a coordinated response to Ebola.

"As front-line workers, I know that you may have major concerns as you are at high risk. While I do understand your concerns I want to make a special appeal to you to assist us with this response. We are doing all we can to protect our workers," he stated.

"Ebola is a real threat to our national security, our economy, the health system, and our very existence."

The handover of the Guidelines is part of the holistic systems of the Ministrys response to the threat of Ebola.

Mortuary operations

The purpose of the document is to outline the operational procedures for managing mortuary operations for private facilities and hospitals.

The document serves to indicate clearly to funeral establishment operators the steps they need to take and protocols to follow to properly manage cases with infectious diseases, especially if they ever have to deal with Ebola related cases. "We want to ensure that the accepted standards are being utilised to prevent any kind of transmission of infections," Ferguson stated.

The guidelines were developed in consultation with the established owners of funeral establishments and mortuaries to formalise the system and ensure that all operators are aware of the protocols, as well as the advice that should be given to family members and others involved in burials to reduce their exposure to infectious diseases.