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THERE are no cases of Ebola in South Africa, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Friday last week.
“We have no Ebola in the country,” NICD public health, surveillance, and response head Lucille Blumberg told reporters in Johannesburg.“The chances of an outbreak [in South Africa] are very small.”
Ms Blumberg said the virus was not easily transmitted and said those travelling to affected areas would not contract the virus.
“You need direct contact with an individual infected. You cannot get it from the air,” she said.
Foreign nationals seeking medical treatment may be denied entry into South Africa if diagnosed with the virus as the country steps up measures to safeguard itself against the deadly virus that has hit West African nations.
“If there is a confirmed diagnosis of a foreign national, they will not be allowed into the country (to get treatment),” said Ms Blumberg.
“If it is undiagnosed and the person does not know, they will be treated.”
There were no cases of Ebola in South Africa and the chances of such a pandemic breaking out in the country were minimal, she said.
The Associated Press reported that more than 700 people died in West Africa from Ebola, with the worst-recorded outbreak in history in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
Ms Blumberg said although the Government had taken a stand on the treatment of foreigners, those infected would not generally have the means to come to South Africa to seek treatment.
Ms Blumberg said it was important for people to know about the virus and for those infected to disclose their status to doctors.
Ebola virus disease, or Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is the human disease caused by the Ebola virus, according to online reference website Wikipedia.
The disease is usually acquired when a person comes into contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected animal. Once infection of a human occurs, the disease may be spread from one person to another.
There is no specific treatment for the virus but efforts to help infected persons include either oral rehydration therapy or intravenous fluids.
The disease has a high mortality rate, often between 50 and 90 percent of those infected with the virus.
derick.khumalo