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The health department is preparing for Ebola cases to present in SA, which top infectious disease expert Prof Salim Abdool Karim says is only a matter of time if the disease is not contained.
The outbreak of the Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and less so in Uganda, has infected about 1,600 people so far and has claimed more than 500 lives.
The health department is concerned about the implications of the disease for South African citizens who may be working, studying, living in or returning from affected areas.
The outbreak is one of the biggest recorded to date.
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi gave details about the steps taken to prepare for cases in a recent television interview.
Dedicated hospitals to receive Ebola patients in SA have been earmarked, three specialised committees have been established and the border management authority (BMA), which is on high alert, has been equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE) to deal with arrivals from affected areas.
“Twenty-four public sector and 12 private sector hospitals have been identified to receive patients suspected or confirmed to have contracted Ebola, and all identified public hospitals are now ready to receive patients,” health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said.
“Our points of entry are on alert to screen people entering the country from affected areas by land, air and sea.
“SA’s preparedness measures are focused on early detection, risk assessment, safe referral, laboratory confirmation, contact tracing and rapid response, rather than routine quarantine of all returnees.
“Priority points of entry such as OR Tambo International Airport remain central to this approach, with port health, the BMA, the national department of health, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the National Health Laboratory Services, emergency medical services and airport stakeholders applying a co-ordinated risk-based approach to identify and safely manage any suspected imported case.”
“The department, working together with the BMA, has enhanced readiness by ensuring adequate supplies of PPE and ensuring strict adherence to infection prevention and control measures,” Mohale said.
Abdool Karim said recently that the fact there had not yet been Ebola cases in SA, especially given that there were daily flights from DRC, was a reflection of the work being done to keep it contained.
Karim said on Wednesday that from what he had gleaned from the minister’s television comments, the department of health’s preparations had the key necessary elements, including the screening of travellers on flights from DRC. — Business Day