adminNgoni Dapira Post Correspondent
MANICALAND public hospitals in all the districts are prepared to treat patients with Ebola in the event of an outcome, Manicaland Provincial Medical Director, Dr Patron Mafaune, has said. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Dr Mafaune, said training of health workers at all district hospitals was done last month as a preparatory measure in the event an Ebola outcome.
“Training of health workers was done at all the public hospitals in Manicaland, so in terms of preparedness, all the district hospitals are alert and prepared for an Ebola outbreak.
“We aim to cascade the training further to strategic clinics, but we are still waiting for the resources to do this,” said the PMD.
She, however, said for the time being sensitization through Information, Education and Communication material was the only way to cascade information further down to health workers at clinics and to the public.
The response by the PMD comes in the midst of Ebola scare reports doing rounds countrywide, with people fearing that public health institutions were not equipped in the event of an outbreak in the country.
The issue of the country’s porous borders has also been drawing doubts about the security measures in place and Government’s foolproof guarantee to be on top the situation.
Ebola which is an infectious fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spreads through contact with infected body fluids by a virus whose normal host species is unknown.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has already killed over 4 500 people, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone since it emerged early this year in January. According to the World Health Organisation, the death toll is expected to reach 10 000 by year-end.
Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe president, Mr Tamuka Macheka, said the deadly disease was bound to have drastic effects on the tourism and hospitality sector due to some of the reckless Ebola scare reports.
Mr Macheka said tourist arrivals were on the increase while the country was a main preference in hosting international and regional seminars, but business would go down if reckless Ebola scare reports continue doing the rounds.
He added that the signs were already visible after last week’s last-minute cancellation of the 18th Insurance Congress for Developing Countries, which was supposed to be hosted by Zimbabwe in the resort town of Victoria Falls.
On the other hand, the pan-African United Methodist Church-related university, Africa University, which has several students from West Africa, said they were fortunate not to have been affected as most of their students were back at school when the Ebola outbreak begun.
AU acting information and public affairs director, Mr Isdora Fungai, said they were actually hosting their board members from various countries this week and fortunately none of the West Africa delegates cancelled or were denied entry.
“I can say so far we have not been forced to cancel any programme on our calendar due to the Ebola outbreak. All our United Methodist Church visitors from all over have been coming with no difficulty.
“But we really hope the Ebola outbreak will be contained soon because our students from West Africa have families back home and you can imagine their grief when they hear that the death toll is increasing,” said Mr Fungai.
Government has since purchased Ebola scanning machines which are at every point of entry into the country.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has also assured the nation that Zimbabwe is Ebola free at the moment.
Online Reporter