Statement South Africa is prepared and ready to respond to Ebola
10 Oct 2014
The outbreak that started in Guinea during December 2013 continues to escalate and seven countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Nigeria, United States and Spain) have reported cases, while in the Democratic Republic of Congo a separate outbreak is occurring.
Although the outbreak started in December 2013, the first confirmed cases were reported in Guinea on 21 March 2014 and the World Health Organisation announced an outbreak on 23 March 2014.
In South Africa we were immediately concerned and took the following actions:
- The Multi-sectoral National Outbreak Response Team (MNORT), which co-ordinates our response to outbreaks, met monthly with Ebola virus disease (EVD) as a standing agenda item;
- Guidelines and Alerts, with case definitions were circulated to all stakeholders, public and private - Stakeholders include: Provinces, Port Health Officials, Civil Aviation Authority, Laboratories (public and private);
- Surveillance for viral hemorrhagic fevers, in particular EVD, has been strengthened at Ports of entry (ORTI and Lanseria have thermal scanners);
- Port Health services, public and private healthcare practitioners were put on alert for any ill persons that have travelled to VHF risk areas and the NICD hotline are available for consultation to them on a 24 hour basis, seven days per week;
- Screening of medical transfers into the country; and
- NHLS and the NICD also intensified lab surveillance
By 24 March 2014, EVD had spread to Liberia; on 12 May to Sierra Leone and 30 July to Nigeria. The spread of the disease alarmed SADC Health Ministers, who held an Extra-ordinary meeting on 6 August in Johannesburg to co-ordinate their response to the outbreak. The main outcome of this meeting was: