Zimbabweans have been worrying about the deadly Ebola virus, which has ravaged some countries in West Africa where more than 3000 people have been confirmed dead so far.
The disease has no known cure with the greatest hope being drugs that are still on trial, which are only available in the west.  The fears are not unjustified. Zimbabwe receives a lot of visitors from the Ebola epicentre of West Africa, while it also interacts with people originating from the Central African region where minor outbreaks have been recorded who transit the country.

A sizable number of the country’s citizens are also scattered in these high risk countries as Zimbabweans work in various diplomatic missions or for the United Nations.
The situation at the country’s ports of entry presents a worrying prospect and this may not exactly allay fears that Zimbabwe is completely safe.

A recent visit to Kariba and Chirundu border posts on the border with Zambia and a major transit point for travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo highlighted some glaring inadequacies.
An open tent has been erected and functions as a clinic.

There are no direction markers or visible information posters or pamphlets on the disease and one has to ask were the health officers are located. Under the tent, two health officers, a nurse and environmental health technician, sit behind a table chatting as people pass to and from Zambia. It is business as usual despite the huge risk of Ebola.

The health officers do not have the necessary goggles, gowns, and gloves in stock to deal with Ebola patients yet they say they are prepared to deal with any suspected cases.
They put on a brave face — just like authorities have been making public pronouncements about how safe the country and region are from the haemorrhagic fever.

“We are prepared for any cases but this is how much we are,” a port health official at the border post said.
“We are here daily and wait for suspected cases of the disease. It is advisable that those who have been to high risk areas present themselves for screening. It is unfortunate this is not compulsory and people just ignore the facility. We fear an infected person who still has no visible symptoms can easily pass through the border and into the country without detection. No suspected cases have been recorded here. As of now we are still safe.”

He said most travellers were uninformed of the disease, hence there was need for more information on the disease, especially in border towns and at entry points.
Most people feel uncompelled to present themselves for screening as they regard Ebola as a disease of west and central Africa.
“There is still need for massive awareness campaigns in the town,” he added.

At the Kariba Hospital and Nyamhunga Clinic there is nothing to show any preparedness to handle the disease.
A nurse who refused to be named for professional reasons said the hospital was still to get the Ebola kit and, in the event of any case of the disease being noticed, they would be forced to make do with want was available.

“We have undergone some training but still to receive Ebola kits. Being highly contagious, the disease requires special protective clothes but there aren’t any here. In the event of a disease outbreak, we are at risk as health officers. If the situation remains like this I wonder if anyone will present and risk contacting the disease,” she added.

At Chirundu border post, a diagnosis cubicle has been set up. A nurse armed with a stethoscope and gloves sits inside the cubicle that has been erected in the immigration offices and waits for suspected cases. An hour passes with no one entering the cubicle for possible screening or for information despite bus-loads of travellers passing through the immigration offices.

Notices are posted on the entry to the immigration office of the threat of Ebola. Another Ebola notice adjacent to the small screening room appeals to travellers, particularly those from high risk countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, to get screened. Cases have also been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the only country in Southern Africa.

Loraine Luwenga of Zambia, who crosses the border almost daily to sell charcoal on the Zimbabwean side, said there was hardly any talk of the disease serve for radio and television.
She said although she was aware of an Ebola outbreak in central Africa, the disease had remained a problem of that part of the continent.

“We know that there is an Ebola in Africa but apart from occasional radio flights about the disease, there isn’t much on the disease. I understand there is supposed to be screening on entry but I have never been subjected to such screening,” she said.

Maureen Tunha of Baghdad in Chirundu said she was unaware of the symptoms of Ebola and what to do in the event of contracting the disease.
“There is hardly any information on the disease in the compound. I once heard the Minister of Health encouraging people not to shake hands and to avoid contact with bodily fluids of victims. Unfortunately there are no posters giving us information and we wonder what the ministry wants us to do. We have no access to newspapers for such information.

“We sometime joke that Ebola is the disease of the affluent. At first we thought those who travel a lot or get in contact with people from West Africa are at risk but we have since discovered that we are also at risk. That is why we are appealing to the health authorities to increase information on the disease,” Maureen said.

But Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Paul Chimedza told the Senate recently that all borders posts were on high alert for Ebola.
“In the ministry, there is emergency preparedness all the time, especially when we have a situation of a deadly disease such as Ebola happening in any part of the country, continent or even the world.

“The possibility of Ebola coming to this country is also very high because it just takes one person who is infected to enter through our borders and go to Mbare and the whole country is on fire. That is how bad Ebola is. So the minute we heard that there was Ebola in West Africa, we reactivated the team and we reactivated our points of entry.”

He added, “Once someone presents symptoms or signs that they might be infected by Ebola, they are quarantined and when they are separated, we have prepared places where we take them.”

Harare City of Health Dr Prosper Chonzi said the Harare was prepared for any outbreak with disinfectants, equipment and drugs in place to treat patients.
He said 200 nurses, 16 doctors and support staff had been trained in handling patients in the event of any confirmed case. Harare has set aside an Ebola Quarantine Centre at Wilkins hospital to be used in the event of someone detected of the deadly virus.

Statistics by the WHO say this year alone at least 3,091 out of 6 574 probable infected people have died of the highly contagious Ebola virus which is threatening to kill more unless a cure and vaccine is developed soon. The virus attacks the blood system and makes the victims bleed almost everywhere on their body, usually to death. It has a case fatality rate 90 percent.

Symptoms of Ebola include weakness, fever, aches, diarrhoea, and vomiting and stomach pain. Additional symptoms include rash, red eyes, chest pain, throat soreness, difficulty in breathing or swallowing and bleeding (including internal).

The incubation period from infection by the virus to onset of symptoms is two to 21 days.
However, an infected person is not infectious until he or she develops symptoms. First symptoms are the sudden onset of fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.

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