Health officials in Yambio, Western Equatoria State are investigating a suspected Ebola case while urging the people not to panic.  

Addressing the press in Yambio, the medical director at the national health ministry Health Dr. Abe Manasi Lori who traveled with the state's surveillance team said the suspect is stable. 

He also urged the citizens to be careful but not worry as the government and health partners are working to ensure that citizens are safe from the Ebola Virus Disease. 

"In Western Equatoria State we got one suspected case which we assessed and is stable," Dr. Manasi said. "The message we have for the general population of this state is a hotspot and it has got six points of entry including the airport that open it to the risk of importation of the virus from the side of Uganda and DR Congo. With this, we have been sent to assess the strength of the state to be able to find what structures the state has for us to prepare and respond.”

He called on the people of Yambio to take precautionary measures to avoid the transmission of the disease while calling upon the community to report any suspicious case. 

According to the World Health Organisation, initial symptoms of Ebola include fever, headache, muscle pain, and chills. Later, a person may experience internal bleeding resulting in vomiting or coughing blood.

"The precautions are that the disease is contagious and they should know what are the signs and symptoms of a person who have got the disease,” Dr. Abe said. “With this, we also encourage that in case of any signs and symptoms that you see in the family there should be a quick referral, we encourage early referral because when early the referral is done the better the care can be given.”

He urged them to call the emergency tool number 6666 to report any suspected case. 

South Sudan said it had recorded four Ebola suspected cases in Nimule, Yei, Yambio, and Kajo-Keji last week, saying blood samples of three suspected cases of Ebola have already been sent to South Africa for screening.

The country has been on high alert since neighboring Uganda declared an Ebola outbreak late last month. Kajo-Keji is one of the high-risk areas as it shares a border with Uganda. 

According to the Ugandan health ministry on Sunday, Uganda had recorded 41 confirmed cases of Ebola, 24 active cases on admission, nine cumulative deaths, and 473 contacts listed for follow-up.