Could South Africa handle an Ebola outbreak? Inside the country's preparedness plan.
South Africa is preparing for a possible Ebola outbreak as the virus continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo, underscoring concerns that the continent’s busiest travel hubs may eventually import cases.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said Tuesday in an interview on broadcaster eNCA that the government designated 36 hospitals - including 12 private and 24 public facilities - to manage any Ebola patients should the virus reach the country. Three specialist committees have also been coordinating readiness exercises, running simulations and training healthcare workers.
“We prepare ourselves with the assumption that the disease may come to any country,” Motsoaledi said. “We have selected hospitals that will be used in the case of an outbreak.”
Congo is battling the largest recorded outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has infected almost 1 600 people and killed more than 500. A small number of linked cases have also been reported in neighboring Uganda. There are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for this variant, though patients are now receiving experimental therapies through a World Health Organization-sponsored clinical trial in eastern Congo.
