The Ministry of Health says it has set up an emergency and response team to deal with any suspected case of Ebola in the country.

This comes after an Ebola outbreak was declared in north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday.

The Director of Emergency, Preparedness and Response at the health ministry, said the area where Ebola declared is far away from the former Western Equatoria which is bordering DRC.

He said despite the area being far away from the border of DRC, the ministry has scaled up measures to avoid any incidences.

“People should not panic because all preparations are in place. What we need from the general public, is to report to the health authorities if you suspect anyone with unusual signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Matthew Tut.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.

The World Health Organization says good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, infection prevention and control practices, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilization.

It further says early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralize the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.