Plymouth scientist shares experience of helping in fight against Ebola

A Biomedical Scientist from Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has recently returned from Sierra Leone after helping with the fight against Ebola.

Katina Kraemer, who is based in the Microbiology Laboratory at Derriford Hospital, answered the call for volunteers to work in West Africa in December. Out in Sierra Leone for Christmas, Katina left on December 21st and returned back to the UK at the end of January.

Katina said: “I found out about the need for microbiologists to work in Sierra Leone as volunteers through email appeals from Public Health England (PHE) and the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), our professional body, and decided to apply.

“Within days I was asked if I could go over Christmas, and once I said yes everything happened very quickly, flights and training being booked, health checks and vaccinations being arranged, and within a couple of weeks I was off.

“The decision to go was not made easily, but I knew I had the skills needed to make a difference where it really matters. Speeding up diagnosis is vital in fighting this outbreak and preventing the spread of this disease. Once I had the support from my family and my manager I couldn’t not go.”

Based in the Public Health England laboratory within the Ebola Treatment Centre in Port Loko, which is one of the currently worst affected areas, Katina was part of a team of 13 scientists from a variety of backgrounds, including Biomedical Scientists working for the NHS.

“Prior to our deployment we received a week of intensive training from PHE in Porton Down,” Katina explains. “Once in Sierra Leone, we received samples from the local area, other nearby Ebola Treatment Centres and from the community and performed tests to check if the patient had Ebola, as well as malaria, as this is common in West Africa and can show similar symptoms.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I worked with some fantastic people, in sometimes challenging circumstances. Our presence here has been greatly appreciated both by the frontline medical staff as well as the local population. I have never met friendlier people than the people of Sierra Leone, and I hope to return to the country in the future, in order to be able to fully appreciate the beauty and diversity of it.”