Cape Town - South Africa has upped its screening of arriving travellers in an effort to stop Ebola haemorrhagic fever entering the country, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.
Briefing the media at Parliament in Cape Town following Cabinet's fortnightly meeting on Wednesday, he repeated government's message that all necessary measures were in place to prevent the spread of the disease, which to date has killed close to 5000 people in West Africa.
“Surveillance at all points of entry has been strengthened to identify viral haemorrhagic fevers, in particular Ebola.”
Radebe said government had established a national response team in case of an outbreak, and 11 hospitals were on standby as Ebola treatment centres.
“We support the efforts by the World Health Organisation in establishing Ebola treatment centres and strengthening capacity for laboratory testing, contact tracing, social mobilisation, safe burials and non-Ebola health care in West Africa,” he said.
Sapa