The Ebola virus has not yet been detected in Cambodia, but with an outbreak in Western Africa killing almost 900 people, the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged the public to be vigilant as fears grow that the deadly disease could spread across international borders.
The WHO has warned that the outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea is outpacing efforts to control it. But with little contact with those countries, Cambodia’s Health Ministry says that Ebola poses a low risk to public health, as person-to-person transmission requires coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
“[We] wish to inform the public that currently, there is no case related to…Ebola virus…detected in Cambodia, so far,” the statement says. “On reducing the risk of exposure to Ebola, H.E. The Minister of Health advised Cambodians travelling to affected areas to maintain vigilance.”
There is no approved vaccine and no cure for Ebola, which was discovered in 1976 in the body of a man who had died from it, likely contracted from a bat, near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Those infected have a one-in-10 chance of surviving.Yet, with cases recently confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria—an international travel hub with numerous connections through Southeast Asia—there is a risk that a passenger could car- ry the virus onto an international flight bound for the region.
The ministry warns all those traveling from infected areas or anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to the virus or exhibiting any of its early signs, such as headaches, fever and muscle pain, to seek immediate medical attention.
Sonny Krishnan, communications officer at the WHO’s regional office, said the press release was intended to reassure the public that despite the media furor, the threat to public health is low.
“Cambodia is enhancing its vigilance and if a case does arrive, we are helping the government to establish the operating procedures to control it,” he said.
