Johannesburg – Health Ministers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged member states to accelerate the response in the event of an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the region.
The call was made, on Wednesday, during an extraordinary meeting to deliberate on the state of readiness and develop a common approach in response to the Ebola outbreak, in West Africa.
Chairperson of the SADC Health Ministers and Malawi Health Minister, DR Jean Kalilani, warned that the Ebola outbreak, in West Africa, is the deadliest in history, stressing the need for ministers to ensure that appropriate executive and political leadership takes the lead in all efforts to manage the disease.
Dr Kalilani also emphasised the importance for leaders to lead the campaign awareness to dispel myths and restore calm to the population.
“It is critical that the region put in place preventive measures to ensure that there is no Ebola outbreak,” Dr Kalilani said.
The ministers reaffirmed the need for high-level national leadership by Heads of States and Government in order to facilitate multi-sectoral response interventions and coordination required to cope with the pandemic.
The role of World Health Organisation (WHO) and SADC Secretariat was also highlighted as essential to provide technical and facilitatory support.
Measures to prevent, control virus
Among the recommendations agreed on to address the prevention and control of the virus include strengthen surveillance, case finding/detection, reporting and contact tracing and shared information on EVD with WHO in a timely manner.
The ministers also recommended the mobilisation of relevant government sectors and community, including religious and political leaders to work together to increase awareness and understanding of Ebola situation by communities in order to ensure optimum preparedness and response.
They further resolved to improve community information and communication in matters related to the epidemic, as well as organising cross border consultation to facilitate exchange of information and agreed on joint collaborative actions.
SA identifies hospitals in case of Ebola
The region was urged to identify health facilities equipped with all appropriate equipment based on WHO guidelines to be used during the outbreak.
South African Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said the department has selected hospitals to prepare them just in case Ebola comes in the country.
These hospitals include Polokwane Hospital in Limpopo, Rob Vera Hospital [formerly known as Witbank] in Mpumalanga, Charlotte Maxeke and Steve Biko in Gauteng, Kimberley Hospital in Northern Cape, Addington Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, Livingstone in Port Elizabeth and Western Cape Tygerberg Hospital.
“We are busy working on a plan to make sure that the hospitals have personnel that are trained. We are busy procuring equipment such as gloves, protective gear as well as preparing isolation wards. If a person goes to any of these hospitals because they are suspected, they will know what to do,” said Minister Motsoaledi.
He also added that SADC has agreed that each country must try their best to educate their population on how the disease is spread.
Mobile laboratory capacity
South Africa will be sending experts from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to take care of the mobile laboratory operation in the affected countries.
The mobile laboratory capacity consists of diagnosis equipment, consumables and protective gears to allow people to conduct diagnosis. The laboratory is also designed to respond in very remote areas.
Zimbabwe prepared for Ebola
Minister of Health and Child Care in Zimbabwe, Dr PD Parirenyatwa, said they are pleased that the meeting has been convened to upgrade their preparedness against the possibility of Ebola, adding that Zimbabwe is prepared.
“There’s no Ebola in SADC Region and there’s no Ebola in Zimbabwe yet, the risk is there, but very low. At the airports, we are on full alert and have appropriately trained people. We have also educated our population so that we don’t put them on panic node. We have made sure that we’ve started training our health profession, and as far as Zimbabwe is concerned, we are prepared,” assured Dr Parirenyatwa.
Since its initial outbreak in the West African countries in March 2014, 932 deaths had been reported or confirmed as a result of Ebola.
Ebola disease
Ebola disease cannot be spread through casual contact but is rather transmitted from person to person through direct contact with blood or infected tissues from an infected person. Health workers and family members of infected persons in the outbreak area would therefore be at risk.
The Ebola virus causes Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. The virus is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.
Ebola can then spread in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.
Signs and symptoms
EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.
Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes. – SAnews.gov.za
