HEALTH: Tanzania Authorities Ready to Tackle Ebola Cases

Tanzania Authorities Ready to Tackle Ebola Cases

Although Tanzania has not registered any case of the Ebola virus so far, health authorities in the country’s western regions of Katavi and Rukwa say they are well prepared.

Katavi Regional Medical Officer Yahaya Hussein on Saturday unveiled measures to address the deadly Ebola virus, which has been reported in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with at least two deaths and a further 29 suspected cases.

Hussein said that the authorities have trained medical professionals on how to deal with the disease if it gets into the area.

Two camps have been set up in Ikola ward, Tanganyika District, and another at a health center in Mpanda Municipality, the headquarters of Katavi Region.

“We have also put in place Medical Facilities, Labs and a vehicle for transporting samples and patients who will be diagnosed with the disease,” he said.

“No cases have been registered so far in Tanzania, but we are on the alert, even though the outbreak of the disease is in neighboring DRC,” said Nkasi District Medical Official Anselmo Kapandila in Rukwa Region.

“In collaboration with security organs, we’re monitoring passengers at the border and those crossing Lake Tanganyika,” Kapandila said over the phone. “With the cooperation with citizenry we’ll win the battle.”

Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90 percent. It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh