TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hong Kong authorities have managed to cross out an Ebola case as a suspect tested negative for Ebola after completing intensive screening on Sunday, August 10, 2014.
Earlier, local media reported the 32-year old man had just returned from a trip to Nigeria and was showing Ebola-like symptoms.
The unidentified resident was placed under quarantine at Margaret Hospital and underwent intensive testing to rule out Ebola on Sunday, for which he tested negative. The man, however, is still under intensive observation as a precautionary measure.
Previously, the Chinese government issued a warning to beef up surveillance and security at its airports, ports, train stations and bus terminals. Chinese customs officials are also imposing more stringent screening for goods arriving from Africa.
Ebola is primarily transmitted through direct contact with infected blood and bodily fluids, but it can also be transmitted by a number of vectors, including chimpanzees, monkeys, gorillas, African deers, and fruit bats.
Multiple researches on the disease have shown that Ebola is also found outside of Africa— outbreaks were spotted in the Philippines and southern China in the 1980‘s and found as even in the tropical regions of Latin America.
Human-to-human transmission is possible when there is a direct physical contact with an individual suffering from Ebola—for example, sneeze droplets, unprotected contact with an open wound of an Ebola victim, and even sharing cutleries.
Studies have found that Ebola samples have been found in rivers, suggesting the possibility of transmission from a contaminated source of water—a grave danger for Africa, where access to clean water remain an issue.
RINI UTAMI | AA ARIWIBOWO
