Pretoria – Government has reported that no new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) have been reported or confirmed in South Africa or in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region.
The Department of Health earlier this month said it would give the South African public regular updates on the EVD outbreak in the West of Africa.
The Ministries of Health in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone have reported that the outbreak continues to accelerate.
A total of 1 552 people have died and there are 3 069 probable and confirmed cases of Ebola.
“More than 40 percent of the total number of cases have occurred within the past 21 days.
However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities. The overall death rate is 52%. It ranges from 42% in Sierra Leone to 66% in Guinea,” said the department on Friday.
Cases of EVD have been reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo, although they are not related to the outbreak in West Africa. This was laboratory-confirmed on 26 August.
A detailed analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of exactly where transmission is occurring (by district level) and of time trends is ongoing.
Preliminary results show that cases are still concentrated in the epicentre of the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where cases continue to rise. A total of 62% of all reported cases since the beginning of the outbreak have been in these countries.
“Capital cities are of particular concern, owing to their population density and repercussions for travel and trade.
“The WHO and its partners organisation are on the ground establishing Ebola treatment centres and strengthening capacity for laboratory testing, contact tracing, social mobilisation, safe burials, and non-Ebola health care.”
The department said the WHO was also continuing to monitor reports of rumoured or suspected cases from countries around the world. Systematic verification of these cases is ongoing.
Countries have been encouraged to continue engaging in active surveillance and preparedness activities.
The department said it was continuing to monitor the situation and will keep South African citizens informed. – SAnews.gov.za
