STAKEHOLDERS SET UP MEASURES FOR THE PREVENTION OF EBOLA IN KAMBIA DISTRICT By Hassan Bruz Northern Bureau Chief It is now a little over a month when rumours of the killer disease –‘Ebola’ were spread throughout the country with a lot and lot of horrifying versions. A few facts were that there has been an outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Guinea where it has claimed a good number of lives. It is also a fact that the disease is caused by a virus which spreads quickly from one person to another, and can kill within a very short time. It was therefore widely rumoured and caused a total panic in the entire country. This was not only because of the likelihood that it was heading for our beloved country, but that there was an uncontrollable fear over the way and manner through which the disease could be spread. It was such a great concern for the Government that ,the Minister of Health and Sanitation had to travel down to the boarder District of Kambia to cross check the information which went out that Ebola had already made its way into the country and was claiming some lives in the District. Although the information was proved to be untrue, it became incumbent on Government to ensure that certain modalities are put in place to prevent this killer disease from making an inlet to the country. I recently made a visit to the border town of Gbalamuya to have a close look at how the travelling public is handled to or from Sierra Leone. I was tempted to believe that there has been no known or any recorded case of Ebola largely because of the collaborative efforts rather than the notion of a miraculous miracle. It was interesting to note that all the respective sectors at the Gbalamuya Joint Border Post were selflessly complementing the efforts of each other in ensuring that all the rules and regulations set up by both Government and the Kambia District Health Management Team are adhered to. It was impressive to see the Immigration and Port Health Officers that are stationed at the entry point ensuring all people entering Sierra Leone from the Republic of Guinea,wash their hands with soap and surrender their travelling documents to the Immigration Officer before they are ushered to the Port Health Office for a thorough screening process. Mohamed Moijeh is the Officer in charge of the Port Health Department at Gbalamuya Joint Boarder Post. He said each traveller will have his or her temperature tested to know if they are having a high fever and will also be required to tell whether they have recently travelled to any African Country. He said this screening process was intensified on 29th March 2014 upon the instruction of the Health Minister after a special training on how to handle cases of Ebola. He told me in an interview that they have since established Health Posts all over the District and even issued out contact mobile phone numbers for them to be informed on any suspected cases of Ebola, adding that sensitisation campaigns are ongoing in the District. The Port Health Officer outlined the reluctance of Travellers to comply with the measures of hand washing, filling the Ebola Monitoring Form, and mobility as some of the challenges his office is faced with. The advice that People should not be too frightened about the diseased as formidable measures have already been put in place, was buttressed by the Senior Immigration Officer at the Gbalamuya Joint Border Post-Abdul Karim Forna. This Senior Immigration Officer said the checking of the movement of people travelling to and from Sierra Leone, the inspection of travelling documents, the monitoring of the mission of those that are more frequent and the mapping out of measures that will enhance the security of the State, form a key function of his office. Abdul Karim Forna said they have since intensified measures of inspection to ensure that incomers are in good health and are Ebola free. Apart from the fact that any suspected case is refused entrance, he said and no corpse is allowed to or out of the country. It will certainly worth a while to conclude with a mention of the Phytosanitary Department at this Boarder Post where Ibrahim Bangura and Kelfala Usman Sesay and Apostle Kallokoh are serving as Inspectors. These personnel are charged with the responsibility to prevent and control foreign Pests and Diseases through visual examination on consignments of Plants and Plant Products on a daily basis. A consignment can only be granted a Plant Import Permit if it is substantially free from pests and disease. As earlier stated, this Unit is actively involved in the precautionary drive in collaboration with all the other sectors. It will interest you to know that all of these functionaries zeroed with a common appeal for people to avoid eating wild animals such as monkeys, chimpanzees, and bats, as well as any other animal that is found dead. Children are particularly advised to refrain from the eating of fruits that have partly been eaten by bats and other wild animals, and to always wash their hands with soap. You can now have a look at how the process is being done at the Joint Boarder Post of Gbalamuya....
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 14:25:39 +0000
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