Riyaz Patel
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has assured South Africans that all measures are in place to adequately deal with any outbreak of the coronavirus here, emphasizing that there is no need to panic.
At least 132 people have died since the outbreak in China about a month ago and more than 6,000 people affected.
No cases have been reported in South Africa.
Speaking in Beijing after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom said “China has released information in an open and transparent manner, identified the pathogen in a record-short time and shared the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus in a timely manner with the WHO and other countries.”
He added that WHO will make “assessments based on science and facts, and opposes overreaction and groundless accusations,” Xinhua news agency reported.
“So far, there are no suspected cases reported. However, due to the current risk of importation of inadvertent cases of 2019-nCoV from Wuhan City – China, Port Health authorities have enhanced surveillance of all travellers from Asia, especially China,” said Health spokesperson Popo Maja.
OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports are the only ports of entry with direct flights from Asia.
The Health Department urged the following precautionary measures:
‒ Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute
respiratory infections.
‒ Practice frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact
with ill people or their environment.
‒ Avoid visiting markets where live animals are sold.
‒ Travelers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should
practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and
sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing and wash hands).
‒ Health practitioners should provide travellers with information to
reduce the general risk of acute respiratory infections, via travel
health clinics, travel agencies, conveyance operators and at points
of entry.
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases has set up a dedicated team to run a 24/7 operation centre, which would activate an “alert mode” if a case were to be detected.
