Johannesburg - South Africa has no confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVB), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Friday.
The virus, which has reportedly killed around 700 people in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, was first discovered in 1976. From 1976 to 1980 there were sporadic outbreaks. From 1980 to 1994, the virus disappeared.
“Since 1994, we’ve seen an increase in the number of Ebola outbreaks and most recently in 2007; a new virus was discovered in Uganda. Since 1976 until now, there were a total 23 large outbreaks. This is worrying,” said Prof Janusz Paweska, head of the Centre for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases at the NICD.
As to where the virus is hiding, Paweska said recent studies that were undertaken, including the catching of various animals, found that it was most likely in bats, particularly fruit bats.
“It is maintained in the bat population and the bats in turn transfer it to other animals like forest antelopes and spread it to humans,” he said.
In central Africa, it is common for people to hunt bats, which become available as culinary dishes sold at markets.
The NICD stressed that the virus is not airborne and that real close unprotected contact is needed to contract the virus. The virus is spread through exposure to bodily fluids.
NICD Executive Director Prof Shabir Madhi said the outbreak was a localised one.
“To put it into context, what we’re dealing with is a very localised outbreak in certain regions of the world. One of the driving forces behind that outbreak is the interface between humans and animals and cultural practices,” said Madhi.
South Africa’s climatic conditions do no not favour the outbreak of Ebola. Madhi said that Ebola would be present in the country through an imported case, which would not affect the general public.
“Such a case will be imported. We are not going to have a sporadic outbreak in South Africa. People that are going to be at risk from that imported case are not the general public but [will be] healthcare workers that will need to deal with that individual,” said Madhi.
There was no reason for the country to close its borders.
Head of the division for public health surveillance and response at the NICD, Prof Lucille Blumberg, said the symptoms of the virus are not specific but include fever and vomiting.
“If it’s a foreign national with confirmed Ebola, South Africa at the moment will not be accepting them. That is the policy. If a patient is transferred to South Africa – whether it is a South African or foreign national -- and there is an unknown diagnosis and [there is a suspected case of Ebola], they will admit the patient, run tests and the patient will be cared for,” said Blumberg. –SAnews.gov.za
