SA man tests negative for Ebola

A 37-year-old man admitted to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital on Sunday with possible Ebola tested negative, the health ministry and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced earlier on Monday afternoon.

"The condition of the patient is stable… We are busy conducting further tests for other infections and continue with our appropriate management of the patient," said the health minister’s spokesman Joe Maila in an e-mailed statement.

He said the government had instituted measures to maintain vigilance for Ebola, and the country remained on high alert.

"South Africans should rest assured that our surveillance is strengthened," he said.

There have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in South Africa. Port authorities at airports and harbours are on high alert, and the government has designated specific hospitals in each province as referral sites for suspected Ebola patients. Instructions have also been issued to health workers in the public and private sector instructing them of the protocols to follow should they treat a patient with a suspected haemorrhagic fever.

Last week a pregnant woman from Guinea was admitted to Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital with suspected Ebola, and she also tested negative.

Since the current outbreak began in April, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria had by August 13 reported 2,127 suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola, and 1,145 deaths. But experts believe the epidemic may worse than the reported figures because some people have shunned health facilities.

The 37-year-old man returned to South Africa from Liberia, where he worked as a health and safety officer on a mine, on August 6. He showed no sign of illness upon his entry into South Africa, but reported to his general practitioner with a fever ten days later. He had not had any contact with Ebola patients while in Liberia, according to the Department of Health.

"Following the protocols issued to all private and public (health) practitioners, the doctor contacted the NICD to discuss the patient. Based on results of the initial blood tests the decision was made to continue to monitor the patient at home and to repeat the blood tests (on Sunday). His temperature increased and it was decided that he be admitted at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital for further assessment and investigations," the health department said on Sunday night.

The NICD had considered the patient to be a low risk for Ebola, it said.

On Sunday African Union (AU) ambassadors meeting in Addis Ababa urged the continent to step up its assistance to countries affected by the Ebola outbreak, warning that if they failed to do so the epidemic would get "out of hand".

"It is important that African states and partners work together as a matter of urgency to provide a common and effective response to curb the Ebola epidemic and think about sustainable mechanisms to help manage more effectively health disasters in Africa" said the chairperson of the peace and security council, Burundi’s ambassador Alain Aimé Nyamitwe in a statement issued by the AU.

South Africa has sent a team of scientists from the NICD to Sierra Leone to assist in containing the Ebola outbreak, which is the worst in recorded history.

Last week the AU announced it would convene an extraordinary meeting of the bureau of the 6th conference of the AU ministers of health in September to lobby member states to replenish the AU Special Emergency Fund and the AU Public Health Emergency Fund, which are both depleted. The AU also plans to organise a donor’s conference to raise additional funds.

American ambassador to the AU, Reuben Brigety pledged additional assistance from the US, which will deploy 25 doctors and 75 nurses to affected countries.

The AU said in its statement that the Nigerian government was concerned about travel restrictions and believed they were counterproductive.

"Adopting measures that stigmatise citizens of affected countries will not yield any positive results and is not in keeping with our traditional African solidarity" said ambassador Paul Lolo.

"What is needed is to put in place measures to prevent the risk of travelling passengers transmitting the disease to other countries. Banning affected countries from travelling will affect future inter-state relations," Mr Lolo said.

-bdlive.co.za