The Ministry of Health in South Sudan has activated the incident management system as a way to respond to the outbreak of Ebola reported in neighbouring Uganda.
Dr. Victoria Anib, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health, says they will deploy the technical working group, surveillance team, and rapid response team to the hotspot zones bordering the country.
She stated that two teams will be deployed in the bordering towns of Yambio and Nimule to assess the readiness capacity of high-risk areas in terms of surveillance.
“We have taken some steps from tomorrow, two teams will be deployed in the border towns of Yambio and Nimule so that, they do the assessment and in the next few days will look into other borders,” Dr. Anib stated.
The government said it will work in collaboration with UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners to conduct health promotions and disseminate messages on the Ebola virus.
Dr. Victoria Anib announced that the ministry will work closely with Ugandan ministry counterparts for easy sharing of information and the general public will get daily updates regarding the virus.
She cautioned citizens about eating bushmeat and limiting their movement across the borders, especially people living in border towns.
Dr. Anib urges citizens to always report suspected cases with Ebola-like signs and symptoms to the nearest health facility.
“The citizens should be on alert, and most importantly those in the border towns have to watch out and report any suspected case of Ebola to a nearby health facility,” Undersecretary Victoria Anib urges.
Dr. Fabian Ndenzako, WHO country’s Representative says it is important to update the incident management system.
He says WHO is ready to help the ministry in preparing and responding to the Ebola virus and would be able to provide regular updates concerning the virus.
On Tuesday, Uganda reported that 24-year-old man in Uganda’s central Mubende district showed symptoms and later died.