The Ministry of Health has activated a five-point Ebola preparedness plan in line with World Health Organization recommendations after the WHO declared the Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena said on Tuesday.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Gunawardena said outbreaks are currently being reported in both DR Congo and Uganda. Sri Lanka has been categorised as a low-risk country under WHO criteria and “there is no need for unnecessary public fear,” he said, but the Ministry has stepped up domestic readiness as a precaution.
The five measures cover:
- strengthened surveillance at airports;
- ensuring the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) is prepared to treat any suspected case;
- improving diagnostic readiness at the Medical Research Institute (MRI);
- reinforcing the national disease surveillance system; and
- continuous monitoring of the global situation and close coordination with WHO through the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Unit.
The Health Ministry’s response follows the WHO’s May 17 PHEIC declaration — the first since the 2018-2020 DRC outbreak — and comes as the DRC death toll has now climbed to at least 120, up from 80 at the time of declaration. No approved vaccine exists for the Bundibugyo Ebolavirus strain driving the current outbreak.
Source: Ada Derana.
