JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Thursday said they have not confirmed any Ebola cases in the country or neighboring countries.
This follows media reports that a South African woman staying in Ficksburg not far from neighboring country Lesotho was confirmed as the first case of Ebola in the country.
"We have not had any positive Ebola cases in South Africa or neighboring countries. This was the first small scale field simulation exercise to test preparedness. The biosafety-level-4 Lab has not been requested to test suspected Ebola cases for any neighboring countries. As such, we have not had a positive Ebola case," said NICD on its twitter account.
They stated that the incident was a field simulation exercise to test Lesotho's preparedness to handle the disease.
"Chances of reaching South Africa are very slim. Nonetheless, South Africa has strong Ebola response systems that are in place should there be a suspected case. If anything changes, we will report its findings to alert the public." The NICD said.
