CHIEF Administrative Officer of the Texila American University (Guyana), Sreebalakumar, has cleared the air on reports that several students from Ebola affected countries travelled here to attend classes.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday morning, the university official said that they are in constant contact with the Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO) and all other bodies which are monitoring the outbreak.
He added that the university has a standard operating procedure in place to deal with anyone coming from any country outside Guyana for classes and of more recent there has been special attention paid to anyone coming from West Africa for classes.
“We are experts in the medical field and we discuss with the Ministry of Health and WHO and other organisations, so the process is followed like in any other country; the students who are sent from these countries are not directly coming from the affected countries; they have to make stops,” Sreebalakumar told the Guyana Chronicle.
On Thursday evening the Guyana Chronicle received several calls from persons who frantically urged that the newspaper track down a development where several students from West Africa arrived on a flight earlier in the day.
Sreebalakumar reported also during the interview, that there are students from West Africa who are attending the University but they have not returned home for holidays since the outbreak of the virus. He, however, said that the if there is a case where students travel back home for holiday or to any other country where the virus is now present, they would have to be subjected to the screening process before being integrated into the society and or the university population.
The official told the Guyana Chronicle also, that the only person the university was expecting on Thursday night was a doctor from the Philippines. He reiterated that the university does have a social responsibility to Guyana and its population and will do nothing to affect the health of the population by exposing them to anyone suspected to have contracted Ebola.
He added that the management also has to take into consideration the socio-economic well-being of the nation and it does take its responsibility very seriously.
Initially when this reporter entered the building, a decision was taken not to come into contact with any object or person at the facility nor was I willing to sit in any chairs, since the facility was extremely hot and persons were seen sweating tremendously.
My decision did offend the Chief Administrative Officer but he was soon comfortable after our interview was completed. By that time, he confirmed that no person from the affected areas was present at the university nor were they expecting anyone.
Meanwhile, immigration officials have confirmed that they have no records to suggest anyone travelled from the affected countries in recent times.
The Ebola virus which was first discovered in West Africa has caused more than 3,000 deaths. Of recent, the virus was discovered in the United States, Spain, and more recently Brazil reported that the first suspected case of the disease was discovered. Should the suspected case in Brazil turn out to be factual, Guyana could be at a great risk of being exposed to the deadly virus, for which this country may not, at the current time, have the capacity to treat or test. No Caribbean country has reported any signs that the virus is present.

(By Leroy Smith)