South Africa border officials on alert as Ebola outbreak expands

As a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread across parts of Central Africa, South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) says it has intensified screening and surveillance measures at ports of entry to prevent the virus from entering the country. The outbreak has claimed at least 61 lives and resulted in 359 cases, with the vast majority concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As health authorities work to contain transmission and communities grapple with fear, disruption and uncertainty, concerns have been raised about the potential risk to neighbouring countries.

However, the BMA has moved to reassure South Africans that screening and monitoring systems remain active and vigilant at all ports of entry. “BMA port health officials implement necessary screening measures at the ports of entry, which include monitoring of conveyances arriving from international arrivals, and in this case, priority will be given to flights from the affected countries (DRC and Uganda) to ensure compliance with international health regulations (2005),” spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi says. She says screening measures include temperature checks on arriving travellers, interviews to establish travel history and determine whether travellers have recently visited affected countries, as well as visual assessments of passengers who appear unwell.