Ebola scare – ship quarantined in Richards Bay harbour?
A vessel from Liberia is docked in the Richards Bay harbour.
LIBERIAN container ship Hammonia Pacificum is reportedly under quarantine at the Port of Richards Bay following an Ebola virus scare.
The deadly virus has claimed 1013 lives in West Africa since February but no cases have yet been reported in South Africa.
According to vessel tracker Marine Traffic, the ship arrived in Richards Bay at around 5pm on Saturday and is currently still moored at the harbour.
A more detailed clarification on the matter is still being awaited from the South African Revenue Services’ (SARS) Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC).
To keep the virus from seeping into South Africa through its ports, ships have been required to apply for quarantine clearance, or ‘free pratique’, from port authorities three days before their expected arrival.
Shipping agents have also been urged to liaise closely with vessels and notify port health authorities of any suspected illness on board.
Today, Ministry of Health spokesperson, Joe Maila assured the public that there was no need to panic.
‘Since the outbreak of Ebola, we have been ensuring that people coming from the affected countries are checked.
‘The screening is our priority.’
‘There is no case of Ebola in South Africa and, therefore, South Africans should not panic,’ Maila said.
Since the epidemic outbreak was detected in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria in February, 1848 suspected cases have been reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ebola Key facts
- Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
- EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
- EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
- The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
- Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
- Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.
*Information by The World Health Organisation (WHO)
The best way is to vaccinate people when they are travelling from other country coz sometimes desease are hiden to others ,DRs will check them at the end of the day they would spread that deadly virus here in SA
I am aware f the fact that Port Health is equipped to deal with any communicable disease although when it comes to Ebola really its not a child play. What worries me though is why it took so long for pharmaceutical companies to even consider vaccination. Could it be because it was not making business sense before, even though it was and still a health risk, particular in Africa.
The doctors must check the foreigners before they enter in South Africa so that it can not spread…..
This gisease is going to spread so they have to stop people from travelling for something because if not so the disease will spread and kill so many innocent people
This Ebola desease must be taken serious please #worried#
I have read that it takes a week- 3 weeks before signs of ebola start showing on people, in that 3 weeks someone with ebola could already be in SA and will spread it. I think traveling should be stop untill this virus is under control! What about Zimbabwe? Those people just swim across the river and then they are in SA! Those illigal immegrants is going to be problem with this virus
Perhaps the people should move away from eating everything that moves. The first thing I observed in the swamps of the Niger delta was the lack of wildlife. The place should be teeming with animals but the locals have chomped everything. I can just imagine what it is like in the more remote areas.
I’m reading that there is a ship in the Bay that is quarantined because it may have the virus on board. To all that is concerned, that is only a precaution that is taken, that’s all. I work in West Africa “Sierra Leone” to be exact, to all that think travel should be stopped because of the virus, that is just bull. You can only transmit the virus through direct contact with bodily fluids or eating dead animals that has the virus. It is not air born at all. Yes we all have to do more to stop the virus, bud to stop travel to west Africa country’s will not resolve the problem. Before jumping to conclusion, please read up on the virus first. Their is more people in South Africa that dies from AIDS in a year then there is from EBOLA in the hole of West Africa. You have a better change to get flu then the Ebola virus. Why it’s out of control at this stage? The west African country’s left it to late. The locals in each country was or some of them still is to arrogant and think the virus is just a myth. Governments of the country’s did not do enough in the beginning stages, that is why the west African country’s is sitting in the situation at this moment. I’m here in Sierra Leone & I know I don’t have to worry about the virus, the way you can be infected I know I will not be infected.
I really do not believe that some of us are so ignorant and even worse racist towards people living in northen countries. Would it be so bad to first understand what is really going on here. These are also people they do not deserve to die like, so what make us as South African think we better than them. Come just think for a while, we should be busy spreading the word how people could prevent EVD from spreading across the country.