Mozambique Strengthens Ebola Surveillance at Key Borders

The Mozambican Ministry of Health (MISAU) on Monday said that it was strengthening epidemiological security measures at national borders to detect suspected cases of Ebola and move ahead with early treatment.

Maputo Health Director, Sheila Lobo, said this on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony of students of the Institute of Health Sciences in Maputo.

Castro said that MISAU was setting up Ebola checkpoints on the borders with Malawi and Tanzania, at international flight airports and at national ports.

“We have been screening from temperature measurement for fever, and all suspicious patients have been quarantined and put under observation,” Lobo said.

Lobo added that so far no patients with suspected Ebola have entered the country.

The strengthening of Ebola control measures follows the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 1790 deaths notification and 2671 cases since 2018.

“For countries like Mozambique, the risk is considered low, there are no trade restrictions on trade with Congo, but the vulnerability of migration leads us to take precautionary measures,” she said.

In a statement issued by the Mozambican Ministry of Health, the sector is preparing a contingency plan.

“MISAU warns all passengers traveling to or from areas affected by Ebola to strictly comply with basic hygiene measures, to avoid direct contact with blood, feces, vomiting and other body fluids of a patient or suspect of Ebola infection,” the statement says.

The statement also said it was monitoring the evolution of the epidemic in the DRC or possible outbreaks in neighbouring territories.

Ebola is an acute and severe viral disease, characterised by the sudden onset of fever, muscle aches, vomiting, and diarrhea and bleeding in the body orifices.