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SUSPECTED SA EBOLA CASE DISMISSED AS FLU

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MBABANE – Swazis should not panic over the reports of a patient who was admitted to a Durban hospital with Ebola.
Authorities there have since claimed that he has flu.


Dr Vusi Magagula, the Director of Health Services, said Swazis should not panic after a suspected case at the Addington Hospital.
The Star, a South African daily publication, reported that on Wednesday a patient was admitted to the hospital after having contracted the virus.


 The publication reported that the KwaZulu Natal Province MEC had confirmed that tests were done based on suspicions of Ebola.
However, last night, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) dismissed the claim.


Anxious


 “This is not correct. A South African man who worked as a fleet manager in Sierra Leone got anxious upon his return and was referred to Addington Hospital in Durban,” NICD Public Health, Surveillance, and Response head Lucille Blumberg said.
Dr Magagula said Swazis would have only been at risk if they exchanged bodily fluids with the suspected Ebola patient.


He said the most prominent way of contracting the disease was through sexual intercourse without protection.
“The disease is transferred through sex, fluids from the eyes (tears), nose fluids, sweat and sores being exposed to infected fluids,” he said.
Recently, this publication reported that there was nothing to stop Ebola from coming into the country.


The country has only three temperature devices which are used to detect people with extremely high temperatures who cross into the country. 
These devices have been placed at Ngwenya Border Gate, Matsapha Airport and the King Mswati III International Airport.


Testing


Out of 12 border gates in Swaziland, Ngwenya is the only exit point with the temperature testing device.
This effectively means that a person diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus can cross into the country and will be undetected at 11 border gates.

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