Update 16th October 2014
Because of the worldwide concern over the Ebola virus, I have been doing quite regular updates as it pertains to South Africa and mainly Cape Town. The latest is here.
Update: 3rd October 2014
There still has not been a single diagnosed case of Ebola in South Africa. The current Ebola outbreak began in December last year in Guinea and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. One case has now been reported in the USA. Most countries affected are in West Africa, which as you see below is 1000s of kilometres from South Africa. It is SAFE to come to South Africa.
August 20th 2014
The Ebola virus is in Africa, but it is NOT in South Africa and certainly not in Cape Town. Yet, due to the fact that it is a growing West African problem, it affects us here. How? To start, there are ongoing flights coming into South Africa from West Africa, the home of Ebola. There are also ships coming into port from West Africa, so immediately, the possibility of bringing the virus in, while very small, is still there. BUT, this is no different from flights going to other parts of the world. Travel is so global these days. Planes and ships are moving from West Africa to all over the world, so South Africa is not the only country that has to take care. Every airport that receives flights from any foreign continent and every port that docks ships has to be aware that they are the potential carriers of disease, not only Ebola, but thousands of other viruses and bacteria.
To offset the risk, precautions have been increased at points of entry. At South Africa’s largest airport Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, thermal scanners have been installed. They detect any travellers with raised temperatures. Once identified, these travellers are taken for medical evaluation. Surveillance has also been increased at sea ports. Authorities are more vigilant in regard to being on the lookout for viral haemorrhagic fevers at all ports of entry into South Africa.
There is a great deal of ignorance in some parts of the world, as to where South Africa is. Africa is Africa and if Ebola is in Africa, it could mean that Ebola is in South Africa. THIS IS FALSE. There is no Ebola in South Africa. Even so, this is the reason given by a Thai insurance company who cancelled a trip for 1500 people to Cape Town. Even when it was explained that Cape Town is far South and no where near West Africa, the Asian insurance company didn’t want to run the risk. Read that story here. While South Africa and Cape Town are in Africa, they are just under 5000km from the epicentre of the Ebola crisis….
It is ludicrous to cancel tours to Cape Town. London is only a couple of hundred kilometres further from Liberia…
And you don’t see those tours being cancelled! Barcelona in Spain is almost 1000km closer to Liberia than Cape Town and you don’t see those tours being cancelled! Tour operators: Do some proper research and don’t put unreasonable fear into the hearts of tourists.
Meanwhile, there is good news regarding the recovery of the two missionaries who contracted Ebola while in Liberia….
Here’s the story from Assist News (thanks to Nico for sending it my way)…
American Ebola Patient Dr. Kent Brantly, says: ‘I Am Recovering in Every Way’
He hopes to be released ‘in the near future’
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
ATLANTA, GA (ANS) — Dr. Kent Brantly, the American Christian doctor who contracted Ebola while working in Liberia, released a statement on Friday in which he said he was “recovering in every way,” and stated that he was looking forward to being reunited with his family.
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Dr. Kent Brantly pictured with his wife and children before contracting |
He said, “There are still a few hurdles to clear before I can be discharged, but I hold on to the hope of a sweet reunion with my wife, children and family in the near future.”
“Thank you for your prayers for Nancy and me,” Brantly said in the statement. “Please continue to pray for and bring attention to those suffering in the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa.”
According to a story carried on www.nbcdfw.com, Brantly, who was volunteering with the charity Samaritan’s Purse in Liberia amid the worst-ever outbreak of the deadly virus, has been improving steadily after being treated with an experimental drug earlier this month.
Brantly remained hospitalized Friday at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. His comments came in a statement issued through Samaritan’s Purse, which is headed up by Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist, Billy Graham.
Brantly and a second American, Nancy Writebol who works with Serving in Mission (SIM), were flown out of Liberia earlier this month and are being treated in an isolation unit at the Atlanta hospital. The two were infected while working at a missionary clinic outside Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.
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Nancy Writebol with some of her Liberian |
Brantly added in his statement, “Thank you for your prayers for Nancy and me. Please continue to pray for and bring attention to those suffering in the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa. Their fight is far from over.”
Fund Established to Help Brantly Family
The website stated that The JPS Foundation is now accepting donations for Brantly and his family, who lost all of their earthly possessions when he contracted the Ebola virus and was returned to the United States for treatment. After his symptoms appeared, Brantly was isolated and was never able to return to their home. According to JPS, everything is considered contaminated by Ebola and will be destroyed.
“No date has been announced for his release from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, but when he is well enough to join his family, they will face the challenge of replacing everything from household items and clothing to computers and children’s toys,” said JPS in a statement Friday. “All funds will be held in a separate account within the JPS Foundation for the financial support of Dr. Brantly and his family during his recovery.
Anyone who would like to contribute can do so at www.givetojps.org. A drop-down menu allows donations to be earmarked for Dr. Brantly.
Contributions, which are tax-deductible, also can be mailed to:
JPS Foundation
Kent Brantly Fund
1223 S. Main St.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
USA
ENDS.
So there you have it – It’s been a long recovery.
My advice if you are travelling to West Africa, is to avoid human contact.
Regardless of where we are in life, there’s always a reason for it. Dr. Brantly certainly has a story to tell. He is one of few survivors. He would never have been thrown into the limelight in such dramatic fashion, had it not been for the Ebola virus – ‘for such a time as this.’
In fact, right now, I’m reading the book of Esther in the Old Testament, which is from where that phrase originates. It always strikes me when I read the book of Esther that each of us are living for such a time as this. Esther was a Jewess. Married to King Xerxes, she had purposefully concealed her heritage from him. Mordecai was Esther’s cousin. Because he refused to bow down before anyone except God Haman, a top official of the king, was angered and got the king to issue an edict to annihilate all the Jews. Mordecai was devastated and sent a message to Esther. This is what he wrote this sobering message:
“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:12-14)
As a child of God, you too are in a royal position. Today, be determined to be part of what God is doing in your family, your church, your community, your city, your country, your world. He has put you there for such a time as this.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
Gratitude Pic….my mouth is already watering for sushi with friends today…
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