South Sudan has heightened nationwide Ebola preparedness and surveillance after neighboring Kenya confirmed an imported case caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
No cases have been detected in South Sudan, but authorities have placed the health system on high alert amid concerns over cross-border movement and trade routes linking the country to affected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda.
Caretaker Health Minister Dak Duop Bichiok said screening had been activated at entry points, across 15 high-risk border counties and at Juba International Airport.
A national task force is coordinating preparedness operations, while eight specialised infectious disease units have been established for isolation and treatment should cases be confirmed.
World Health Organization representative Moses Ongom said South Sudan’s response preparedness had risen from 29 per cent in May and 45 per cent in June to 65 per cent currently.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said surveillance, laboratory testing and rapid response systems were operational, with regional coordination support based in Kampala.
The ministry urged residents to remain calm but vigilant, practise regular hand hygiene and report suspected symptoms — including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding — to the nearest health facility or through the toll-free emergency number 6666.