Pakistan issues high alert as Ebola virus grips African countries

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s Ministry of Health has issued an alert, instructing the National Institute of Health to take necessary steps, as the World Health Organization declared the Ebola virus a global public health emergency. It has directed the National Institute of Health to take necessary steps and maintain laboratory kits for early detection as Border health services have been directed to stay alert, with special monitoring of travelers arriving from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo at airports. Officials noted that Ebola’s symptoms are similar to dengue fever, prompting medical staff to exercise extra caution. The federal health ministry reassured the public that the situation in Pakistan is fully under control, with no cause for concern. Meanwhile, African countries have reported around 300 suspected Ebola cases and 80 deaths. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed teams to the affected countries to assist in containment efforts. A day earlier, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Chief, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva that 51 cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been confirmed in the DRC, with almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. He said, “we expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.”