Pakistan steps up airport screening amid Ebola outbreak in Africa

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.

In a handout, the minister said Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had directed authorities to implement precautionary screening protocols at all airports to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

The spread of the recent Ebola virus outbreak is limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, and the risk to Pakistan is extremely low due to limited travel links with the affected countries, the health ministry said.

The ministry added that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) office in Pakistan were continuously monitoring the situation.

The ministry directed all provinces and the Border Health Services to remain on alert. The ministry 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 that the WHO has recommended enhanced precautionary surveillance measures, but has not advised any travel restrictions.

No Ebola case has ever been reported in Pakistan or its neighboring countries, the ministry said. It added that citizens traveling 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 spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. It can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. There are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola behind the current outbreak.

There have only been two previous outbreaks of Bundibugyo, in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012.

Speaking to Dawn, Chief of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) at NIH Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan said that the institution possessed the facility to test Ebola samples.

“The same capacity is also available at reference labs in different parts of the country and NIH has decided to provide them with kits for testing,” he said.

“The positive thing is that the virus is so far limited to Africa, and we have just a few direct flights from Pakistan to Africa,” he said.

However, Dr Mumtaz said a number of ships coming to Pakistan’s ports from Africa were also being screened. He said health practitioners and hospital staff were also being trained to deal with suspected cases.