Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has addressed concerns on South Africa’s preparedness against the hantavirus.
Image: Phando Jikelo/Independent Newspapers
The Department of Health is on high alert following confirmation of the hantavirus. Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi addressed concerns regarding the country’s health security system and protocols, stressing the resilience of South Africa’s one health approach but acknowledging the inherent challenges of diseases that “don’t know borders”.
Motsoaledi explained that South Africa’s one health approach has provided a valuable platform for collaboration across human, animal, and environmental sectors. They continue to institutionalise, coordinate, and implement data-sharing mechanisms to maintain their integrated and timely response to health threats.
“Our experience in the health security system has highlighted several important lessons: the development of a national framework must be matched by strong implementation; progress in strengthening surveillance; our multi-dimensional outbreak response team at the district level is an invaluable resource, and we require sustained financing to sustain further improvements,” Motsoaledi said.
The minister highlighted that diseases do not know borders. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) established International Health Regulations (IHR), which guide what happens during outbreaks for containment in a particular geographical or even geopolitical area.
He said each country must have an IHR focal person, so that around the world, they always have a team of people whose job is to control diseases.
“In our case, we have got Tsakani Furumele... She was selected long ago as South Africa’s focal point on International Health Regulations,” Motsoaledi said.
He said the WHO contacts them often to see what work they are doing, but they also contact each other for information sharing if anyone has picked up something happening in the world.
Motsoaledi said that because diseases know no borders, the department has Port Health personnel deployed at the borders, especially airports.
He said that in airports, they have temperature detectors, but this is a crude method, as not every sick individual develops a temperature, but they screen them through the system. This is done by Port Health, led by Environmental Health chief director Aneliswa Cele.
“When the Border Management Authority (BMA) was established, we transferred certain functions to the BMA, so the Port Health personnel are working under the command of the BMA, but the systems and processes and policies they use, they get them from the Department of Health,” Motsoaledi said, adding that Cele is still the chief director, not only dealing with health, but also environmental issues. However, Port Health staff report to the BMA.
Motsoaledi said that currently, the WHO is assessing the risk of the hantavirus to the global population. The WHO country director contacted him on Tuesday night regarding the WHO’s activities. After a ship arrived in Cape Verde Island, an 81-year-old Dutch passenger collapsed and died; the cause of death is unknown as she was not tested. Simultaneously, a doctor and a guide on board were sick. Cape Verde officials sent a medical team to examine them, and over the past 24 to 36 hours, no new infections or developments were reported.
“I am made to understand this morning (Wednesday) that the ship is continuing to the Canary Islands, where the Italian authorities will take over. I’m saying so because there was a debate whether it must go back home to the Dutch or continue on its journey, but those are the issues that are being resolved in Europe,” Motsoaledi said.
Regarding protocols, the minister said that routinely, air pilots or the air staff are in touch with countries to report any person who might be sick on the aircraft to warn them that they will arrive with the patient, and people can prepare themselves.
He said it cannot be said that South Africa’s safety mechanisms were so lax that they just allowed people in without screening. This was concerning one person who was travelling back home via OR Tambo International Airport.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za