Govt toughens airport screening amid Ebola outbreak
• Health ministry directs provinces, Border Health Services to remain on alert • Red Cross announces death of three volunteers in DRC • Uganda confirms three new cases, bringing total to five • Viral disease ‘threatens 10 nations’, including Kenya and Rwanda ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has intensified screening measures at airports across the country, along with other precautionary steps, amid the recent Ebola virus outbreak in Africa, the health ministry said on Saturday, a day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) upgraded the risk assessment for the disease. According to a handout, the ministry said the spread of the Ebola virus outbreak was limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, and the risk to Pakistan was “extremely low ” due to limited travel links with the affected countries. It added that Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had directed authorities to implement precautionary screening protocols at all airports to prevent the possible spread of the virus. The ministry further stated that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the WHO office in Pakistan were continuously monitoring the situation. The ministry directed all provinces and the Border Health Services to remain on alert. It also noted that Pakistan possessed the capacity to diagnose Ebola and said directives had been issued to ensure all necessary arrangements and preparedness measures were in place. It said the WHO had recommended enhanced precautionary surveillance measures, but not advised any travel restrictions. “No Ebola case has ever been reported in Pakistan or its neighbouring countries,” the ministry said. It added that citizens travelling to African countries had been advised to review the relevant travel and health advisories issued by those countries before departure. Ebola is a deadly viral disease that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. There are no approved vaccines or...
Original source: Dawn Pakistan