Response team dealing with virus

2008-10-09 12:47

Pretoria - The government says a rapid response team, consisting of public and private health sector representatives, has been established to co-ordinate efforts to deal with outbreak of suspected haemorrhagic fever in Gauteng.

Briefing the media after Cabinet's regular meeting on Wednesday, Maseko said the executive was satisfied that health authorities and professionals had responded quickly, appropriately, and with the highest levels of professionalism to contain the suspected virus.

There is no cause for panic, Maseko said.

The National Outbreak Response Team was working around the clock to support the provincial outbreak response teams with guidelines, active field surveillance, and tracing contacts.

This team met every day to co-ordinate responses and constantly monitored the situation in all hospitals and clinics.

WHO, CDC involved

Government was also working with the World Health Organisation and the United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to access their global expertise in dealing with outbreak responses.

The CDC had undertaken to expedite the processing of samples to ensure test results were made available as quickly as possible, he said.

An Emergency Medical Services hotline [phone]) had been established to deal with enquiries.

Health care workers were being trained to deal with patients showing symptoms of viral haemorrhagic fevers, and Port Health Services were being strengthened to deal with any situation, as were members of the Border Control Operational Co-ordinating Committee.

"Government's message to the public is 'do not panic, we are dealing with the situation'.

"We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and we are confident that the test results will shed more light on this virus so that appropriate measures could be put in place as soon as possible," Maseko said.

Meanwhile, Morningside Medi-Clinic marketing manager Melinda Pelser said the status at the hospital remained unchanged. The two patients who were relatives of the employee who died were still in isolation.

"We continue to provide emotional support," said Pelser.

She said there were 67 people on the clinic's contact list who were being monitored after they came in contact with some of those who died. These people were not in isolation or under quarantine.

"However, they are monitored by daily temperatures and check ins. If they do not check in with us we contact them," said Pelser

- SAPA