Durban Ebola alert as man tested
Eleven state hospitals have been designated to manage Ebola cases, with Addington hospital the only one in KZN.
A number of media houses have reported that KZN Health MEC, Sibongiseni Dhlomo has confirmed that a patient was taken in to be tested for Ebola at Durban’s Addington Hospital on Wednesday, 29 October.
According to media reports, the MEC did not say where the man had travelled from or the nature of his symptoms. His blood samples have been sent for testing.
Earlier in the month, government reassured citizens that South Africa is capable of dealing with and containing Ebola, if the viral disease had to reach our shores.
Eleven state hospitals have been designated to manage Ebola cases, with Addington hospital the only one in KZN.
Staff at the hospital were reportedly told to wear protective gear, and three entrances were sealed off to prevent contamination with other patients.
According to the World Health Organisation, the incubation period is up to 21 days and the patient is not infectious until symptoms develop. First symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function and even internal and external bleeding.
Nearly 5,000 people have died since several African countries, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal were hit by Ebola outbreaks at the beginning of the year.
