South Africa on high alert for Ebola

South Africa is on high alert following the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, but there is no need for panic, the country's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.

The ministry assures South Africans that all precautions are taken to prevent the virus.

"Our surveillance activities are extremely effective," Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in a statement.

The department has informed all stakeholders of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa.

Outbreak response teams have been alerted to be prepared to respond in the event a suspected case was identified in the country, the minister said.

The alert emphasised that all port health officials should be aware of the EVD outbreak and have a high index of suspicion for travellers with the EVD signs and symptoms. It also emphasised that all health care workers should have a high index of suspicion for EVD when managing patients with a travel history to West Africa.

Major airports have installed thermal scanners that detect travellers with raised temperatures. These travellers, when identified, are assessed at the medical facilities at the airports.

All health care workers, both public and private, have been put on high alert for travellers who have visited West Africa.

Following the first report of an EVD outbreak in Guinea, the South African National Department of Health (NDH), with support from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, drafted an alert and case definition, that were distributed to the Environmental Health Directorate (including Port Health), provinces and the Civil Aviation Authority, for further circulation to all stakeholders.

The NDH has been monitoring the EVD outbreak in West Africa through updates provided by the NICD, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.