JUBA – South Sudan government has announced the establishment of screening and isolation facilities at border entry points following an Ebola outbreak in neighboring Uganda, the acting health minister said on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists in Juba, James Hoth Mai, also the labor minister, the health ministry has taken steps to prevent the virus’s spread into South Sudan.
“The Ministry of Health has alerted health authorities in Nimule, Juba International Airport, and other points of entry to implement preparedness and readiness actions, including the establishment of screening and isolation facilities to promptly identify suspected cases,” Mai said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed four Ebola cases in Uganda, identifying the strain as the Sudan subtype. WHO Country Representative Humphrey Karamaji said suspected cases had been reported in four Ugandan towns, with health workers comprising over half of the 234 people being monitored.
He added that Uganda had established four quarantine centers. There are five known Ebola subtypes, he noted.
Mai urged the public to take precautions, including avoiding contact with bodily fluids from suspected Ebola patients, such as urine, blood, sweat, saliva, vomit, and stool, and to refrain from handling bodies of those suspected to have died from Ebola-like symptoms.
He stressed the importance of hand hygiene, recommending regular handwashing with soap and water or using alcohol-based sanitizers. Mai also said that burials of suspected Ebola victims should be supervised by health teams to ensure safe procedures.
“The public is advised to remain calm and avoid panic,” Mai said, adding that anyone exhibiting Ebola symptoms should contact the health ministry’s toll-free number, 6666.
Kidiende Chong, director general for preventive health services, said the ministry had instructed sub-national health authorities, particularly in states and counties bordering Uganda, to strengthen surveillance.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, typically via broken skin or mucous membranes.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, restlessness, headaches, and unexplained bleeding, which can appear later in the disease.
