SA treating common flu with suspicion amid coronavirus, says Mkhize
by ANA Reporter
DURBAN – Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Friday his department was treating even the common flu with suspicion, as part of precautionary measures to keep the country free of the coronavirus.
The World Health Organisation on Thursday night declared the virus - first detected in Wuhan, China in December - a global health emergency.
To date, there have been no confirmed cases of the disease in South Africa.
On Friday, Mkhize said as a result of the WHO declaration the country had activated its emergency centre on Thursday night which would have dedicated staff proactively investigating potential cases of the virus.
“It is better to over-suspect than under-iagnose,” he told a news conference at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg.
The national health services laboratory was available 24 hours a day, he said, to test for the virus at any time.
Following the briefing, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said via his official Twitter account the organisation was “committed to ensuring facts get to affected populations and fear is not spread by misinformation”.
While praising China’s handling of the outbreak, Ghebreyesus added: “Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill prepared to deal with it.”
The latest figures place the number of deaths in China from the virus at 213 people, while 9,800 people are infected globally.
South Africa is also a referral lab for the African continent. Following rapid testing, results are sent back to the respective countries.
Mkhize said the country’s 36 ports of entry were being monitored, including with handheld thermometers. Additionally, the defence force’s health practitioners would be mobilised on Friday as extra manpower to monitor ports of entry.
Special measures had been introduced at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, the continent’s busiest airport.
Travellers from China who had been to Wuhan were required to complete questionnaires, the health minister said.
“A total of 55 travellers were found to have elevated temperatures, and referred to a nurse for further assessment," he said. "Of the 55 travellers, 14 were from China. None of those tested had symptoms of the virus.”
The country’s 24-hour hotline for clinicians continued to receive “high number of calls” Mkhize added, calling it a good sign as it indicated high vigilance.
Each of the country's provinces has a designated hospital for management of coronavirus, should it be detected.
Addressing reports of two South Africa’s in quarantine in Wuhan, Mkhize said they were “not sitting in a camp”.
"Our understanding is that they have been quarantined and asked to monitor themselves," he said.
At a previous briefing on Wednesday, Mkhize confirmed there were 35 South Africans in Wuhan, none of whom had contracted the virus.
The coronavirus is zoonotic, meaning it has an animal origin, and was linked to a food market in Wuhan.
African News Agency