This measure is also part of the IMS policy to make operational the Universal Oral Swabbing of dead bodies in Liberia, the Deputy Director of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Ministry of Health, Amos Gborie, said.

Oral swab, also referred to as cheek or mouth swab, is a clinical procedure in which specimen such as saliva is extracted from a dead individual to and taken for speedy and accurate laboratory analysis to determine whether a person died of a contiguous disease.

Gborie noted that swabbing will enable health authorities to assist families by providing options in the burial of their deceased relatives.

Family members should call the Ebola hotline 4455 or visit the nearest health facility to request Ebola burial teams or health staffs to assist them in swab collection, he emphasized.
According to Gborie, results of the swab will be communicated to families whose deceased is tested positive for Ebola to enable contact tracing and quarantine.
LINA DMW/PTK