SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
South Africa: Ebola free. It’s not even in the neighbourhood. So says Dr. Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s MInister of Health in a Harbour Times exclusive.
Minister of Health of South Africa Dr. Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi arrived in Hong Kong and attended a talk organised by the Chinese University of Hong Kong concerning the impact of the Ebola epidemic on South Africa and the African Continent. He said Ebola been devastating to economies in the whole of Africa. He lamented the fact that a lot of people were under the false impression that South Africa was affected by the epidemic, but in fact his country is still Ebola-free.
Currently, South Africa has a travel ban in place on those coming in from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. South Africans returning from these countries would be allowed back home but would undergo extensive medical tests. Dr. Motsoaledi says, "they must inform us. We must be able to screen them. When they come back, we must be able to have surveillance on them, we must be able to follow up on them.” He said, two weeks ago, there were about 270 people travelling back to South Africa from the affected area, “I know who they are. So the movement between South Africa and that area is under control.”
Dr. Motsoaledi sees an unfairness in the whole situation. Even though South Africa is still Ebola-free, people are afraid of going to the country, “There is a case of Ebola in Spain. (The patient) passed on. Nobody speaks about it. There are two American doctors who went to West Africa...and they recovered. America was able to continue (unaffected).” He added there were also two Canadians who contracted Ebola in West Africa, and went back to Canada, and bemoaned how these things are never talked about and people would not be afraid to go to these places even though there have been Ebola patients. “It’s only because of the poverty of the African continent and lack of resources, everybody always believe that something terrible is going to happen in that place.” Which is why Dr. Motsoaledi thinks the economy in Africa has been badly hit, “I believe (it) is grossly unfair, extremely so.”
As a medical professional, Dr. Motsoaledi did mention the burial ceremony that has been practiced for centuries in Africa has unfortunately contributed to rapid spread of Ebola within the western area, “every member in the family has to pet (the body) to say goodbye.” People should not suppose to have direct contact with the corpse with their bare hands.
Dr. Motsoaledi emphasized that South Africa has prepared well for the Ebola, “we have a National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ laboratory in Johannesburg. It is at biosafety level 4 (BSL4). ” This laboratory has the highest safety level among those on the African Continent, and can test for all viral haemorrhagic fever viruses, including Ebola. There are also 11 hospitals designated to receive patients with Ebola. Dr. Motsoaledi said South Africa will be sending a unique diagnostic mobile laboratory to West Africa to help in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.
http://harbourtimes.com/openpublish/article/south-africa%E2%80%99s-minister-health-safe-come
