3. South Africa set up a field Ebola Molecular Diagnostic Facility in August 2014 with laboratory infrastructure, technical and personnel support from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. A total of 8 teams of 2 to 5 members from the NICD rotated through the facility in Sierra Leone every 4 to 6 weeks between August 2014 and March 2015. The unit assisted with the laboratory diagnosis of Ebola in patient blood and buccal swab specimens.
4. (a) The Department convened a committee known as the Multi-sectoral National Outbreak Response Team (MNORT) which comprised the following departments, supported by the private health sector, development partners and multilateral agencies:
(b) The University of the Witwatersrand ‘Wits Health Consortium’ coordinated the external response effort of receiving goods and cash donations to the affected countries with the deployment of health professionals to Sierra Leone, supported by “Right to Care”, the African Union and the World Health Organisation. The laboratory professionals’ travel and logistics were coordinated by the Wits Health Consortium, the NICD and the World Health Organisation.
(c) The flights of all the personnel from South Africa to Ghana were supported by a major South African private sector financial services partner and travel agency with flights from Ghana to Sierra Leone supported by the United Nations response. The donated goods were transported by road to Durban from the warehouse in Centurion and shipped to the 3 affected countries through a partnership with a major international shipping company that provided free transportation from Durban.
5. The total monetary value of the country’s contribution in the fight against the Ebola epidemic since 1 December 2013 cannot be quantified as it comprises the domestic response which covered provincial departments of health and national departments’ interventions.
These included border protection interventions such as installation of thermal scanners at designated ports of entry into South Africa, recruitment and deployment of additional Port Health Officers and introduction of screening questionnaires at ports of entry, training of immigration, airline and port health staff in South Africa and also for SADC countries, health professionals and support personnel in the management of Ebola suspect and infected patients and bio-hazardous waste management, provision of an Emergency Operations Response Centre operating on a 24-hour basis, enhancing health screening and surveillance systems and laboratory diagnostic support for South Africa and the SADC Region. The external response to the affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone comprised the donation of personal protection equipment by the Department and donation of other goods by the private sector and provision of laboratory support and deployment of health professionals in Sierra Leone. Some South African companies contributed to the Ebola response by direct contributions to the African Union response or to the affected countries directly.
In addition, various Committees such as the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Ebola, the Multi-sectoral National Outbreak Response Team (MNORT) and the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ebola outbreak in West Africa were set up to support the country’s efforts in the domestic and external response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Communication to the public, various stakeholders and role players was maintained at all times through media releases presentations.
END.