Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: SOUTH Sudan’s government said it has stepped up vigilance along its borders following an outbreak of the Marburg virus in neighboring Ethiopia.
Minister of Health Sarah Cleto Rial said the government, together with the World Health Organization and other partners, has intensified surveillance, preparedness and response measures to prevent any importation and spread of the virus. Sudan Health Minister Sarah Kleto Hassen told journalists that the outbreak was officially declared by Ethiopian authorities on November 17, after laboratory tests detected and confirmed the virus.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre has since been placed on high alert, while screening and reporting systems are being strengthened across national and state levels. The ministry identified Kapoeta East, Pibor, Pochalla, and Akobo as high-risk counties because of frequent movement along border points. Ethiopia confirmed three deaths from the Marburg hemorrhagic virus that has been detected in an area neighbouring South Sudan.
A team from the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has been dispatched to support testing and outbreak control.
