‘Suspected Ebola student still in quarantine’

Health Reporters
The Harare Polytechnic student who was suspected of having Ebola but was later diagnosed of malaria, is still quarantined at Wilkins Infectious Disease Hospital, City Health director Dr Prosper Chonzi has said. The hospital is also still closed to all patients with a notice at the gate referring all patients to Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital also known as Nazareth.

Dr Chonzi said the patient — who had come for an induction at the college for 2015 preparatory English lessons, was recovering.
He said her blood samples have since been sent to a South African laboratory for further investigations but a preliminary rapid test came positive for malaria.
“Although we are convinced that the patient was suffering from malaria, we have sent the blood samples to SA,” said Dr Chonzi.

He said they could have discharged the patient on Sunday but could not do so fearing the student could be stigmatised and discriminated against by fellow students at the college and the Press.

“She could have been discharged yesterday on Sunday, but we are still holding her because we want to manage the school and the media so that the country is confirmed free from Ebola. Once we get the results, we will disseminate them through proper channels,” said Dr Chonzi.

Information gathered by The Herald showed that the student only identified as Mary, had just arrived for orientation together with other 20 prospective students from the DRC.
There are also an estimated 150 other students from Guinea who arrived in the country recently for the preparatory English lessons.

Foreign students at the college are first enrolled into the English preparatory classes before commencing their lectures. More than 4000 people mostly from West Africa have died of the disease while about 8 000 others have been treated of the same in the world’s deadliest Ebola outbreak.

In Africa, the outbreak is causing havoc in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Senegal and is also reported to be under control in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cases have also been reported in UK, Spain and America.