SA - Travel Advisory to preven the importation of Ebola

22 August 2014

SA - TRAVEL ADVISORY TO PREVENT THE IMPORTATION OF EBOLA

GOV.ZA

 

What is the Department of Health doing about it?

 

As part of enhanced precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Ebola into South Africa, the Department of Health is issuing a travel advisory for travellers both South African residents and non-residents coming into South Africa from or through Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone as well as those coming from non-affected countries.

 

All South Africans are hereby advised to avoid non-essential travel to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone. South Africans are not restricted from travelling to these countries, however all returning travellers from these countries will be subjected to rigorous screening and medical assessments before being allowed entry into the country.

 

The following additional measures will be instituted:

 

1. All travellers and crew members arriving into South African Points of Entry must have completed a Travel Health questionnaire upon arrival. If found to have any of the symptoms or signs suggestive of Ebola, they will be referred to one of the designated hospitals for further investigations and management.

 

2. Passengers who travelled from or through Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone within the last month of arrival into South Africa must undergo additional screening at the Points of Entry.

 

2.1 For those who display symptoms related to Ebola: Travellers will be escorted to the clinic at the Point of Entry for further examination. Where there is no clinic at the Point of Entry, travellers will be kept apart in an identified area where there is no direct contact with other people until such time as the emergency services arrive for further examination or evacuation of the traveller.

2.2 For those with no symptoms: Travellers will be provided with health information on Ebola and subjected to quarantine surveillance i.e. required to report body temperatures daily to the Department of Health. They will also be required to report details of any symptoms such as fever, headache, achiness, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash or red eyes.

 

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