Govt says no Ebola case detected
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has assured Malawians that so far the country has had no Ebola case detected and confirmed that ever since the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the first Ebola outbreak in West Africa on March 23 last year.
at peak of crisis
The ministry, in an update on Ebola Preparedness and Response issued yesterday, discouraged the general population and the media from making “unfounded” conclusions that there is an Ebola case in the country when one has signs and symptoms associated with the disease to avoid creating unnecessary panic and fear.
The ministry said there is still need to undertake laboratory tests on specimen from suspected cases to have accurate confirmation of the disease.
MoH said it has remained on high alert and has appropriate measures in place to detect, confirm and manage any case if it is identified in Malawi. It says this is because new cases are still being reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone despite the WHO declaring the Ebola outbreak over in Liberia.
Reads part of the statement: “Amongst other measures, we are ensuring that all travellers into the country are screened for Ebola at the port of entry; health workers in all districts have been trained on the management of Ebola cases; and all necessary supplies including personal protective equipment were procured and distributed to all districts.”
The ministry says it will keep updating the general public on any new developments with respect to the Ebola disease.
Ebola is a highly infectious disease with flu-like symptoms and severe internal bleeding. The outbreak in West Africa led to the death of more than 10 000 people, according to WHO.
