Fear and panic grips Spain – scared medical staff refuse to treat suspected Ebola cases

October 2014 – MADRID – Scared medical staff in Madrid refused to treat possible Ebola patients on Thursday for fear of becoming infected themselves, as the condition of the Spanish nurse who contracted the virus deteriorated further. The Carlos III hospital, where seven quarantined cases are being treated, has had to draft in extra staff after nurses there refused to turn up for shifts. “There are members of staff who are cancelling their contracts so that they don’t have to enter [rooms with possible Ebola patients],” said Elvira Gonzalez of the SAE nurses union. Although no formal absentee figures have been released, a number of nurses and health technicians have formally resigned from their posts, while others have made excuses to avoid going into work. “A lot of people are calling in sick,” one member of staff told EL PAIS newspaper. “They are saying they have period pains, or that they feel dizzy. People are anxious and can’t be expected to work like that.” Staff members who have agreed to work in the hospital’s isolation ward are receiving psychological counseling. –Telegraph