SA declines to issue travel restriction to DRC, saying Ebola outbreak is in ‘very remote’ area
No travel restrictions have been imposed‚ but the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a reminder to travellers and medical personnel from SA to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.Fortunately‚ the risk of Ebola spreading to other countries is low‚ according to medical professionals.The DRC declared the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Bikoro in Equateur province on May 8‚ after laboratory results confirmed two cases of the disease.The affected area is on the shores of Lake Tumba in the northwestern part of the country — "a very remote and not easily accessible area of the country"‚ according to communique posted by the SA’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).This is DRC’s ninth outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976. In the past five weeks‚ there have been 21 suspected viral haemorrhagic fever cases, and 17 deaths.The World Health Organisation (WHO) is assisting the DRC in m...
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