At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the South African government published “special regulations” to contain the spread of the disease. These actions were taken under special powers granted by the Disaster Management Act.
In April 2022, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an end to the crisis management mode the country had been in for two years. Now processes are underway to embed some of the special regulations into the country’s general health regulations related to notifiable medical conditions.
Notifiable medical conditions are conditions, diseases or infections that pose an immediate and significant risk to public health. The diseases are categorised based on the severity of the threat they pose. Each disease is designated a reporting time and a set of conditions aimed at controlling its spread. Novel influenza viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, and diseases such as viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola and malaria, are already on the list.
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Photo: GCIS
