The Sunday News
Lungile Tshuma Sunday News Correspondent
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said the risk of transmission of Ebola virus during air travel remained low ending fears that the disease was being largely transmitted by air.There have been fears across the globe that the disease was now being transmitted from one country to another through air transport, a situation which had seen some countries putting travel bans to people from and going to Ebola-prone areas.
In a statement on the organisation’s website, director of WHO Global Capacity Alert and Response Dr Isabelle Nuttall said the disease could only be transmitted by direct contact of body fluids of a person who is affected by Ebola.
“Unlike infections such as influenza or tuberculosis, Ebola is not airborne,” says Dr Nuttall. “It can only be transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is sick with the disease. Because the risk of Ebola transmission on airplanes is so low, WHO does not consider air transport hubs at high risk for further spread of Ebola.”
He also cleared the air when he said in the event that someone in a passenger’s crew is suffering from Ebola, chances were low that people could have contact with his body fluids.
“On the small chance that someone on the plane is sick with Ebola, the likelihood of other passengers and crew having contact with their body fluids is even smaller. Usually when someone is sick with Ebola, they are so unwell that they cannot travel,” said Dr Nuttall.
WHO has therefore advised against travel bans to and from affected countries. Countries have also been advised to provide their citizens travelling to Ebola-affected countries with accurate and relevant information on the Ebola outbreak and measures to reduce the risk of exposure.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has now infected nearly 2 000 people, with more than half of those killed by the disease.
There have been no confirmed cases in Zimbabwe and any country in Sadc, but the region is on alert to deal with any case before it spreads.
Sadc ministers of health held an extraordinary meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, last week to build a consensus on appropriate strategic actions to prevent the spread of Ebola in the region.
They called for a multi-sectoral approach that includes governments, development partners and churches, among others, to create awareness of the disease in communities.
The ministers also urged governments to commit financial resources to prevent the outbreak of the disease, while member states were urged to assist each other in the event of an outbreak in one of the member states.
South Africa was selected to be the centre of excellence in Ebola laboratory diagnosis in the region.
