Public Health Expert Dr. Canisius Banda has advised the Zambian Government not to quickly dismiss remarks infectious disease expert Francis Kasolo that Zambia is not ready to handle a possible Ebola outbreak.
Dr. Canisius Banda wondered whether Zambia has the administrative, structural and commodity capacity level to handle the Ebola virus despite government assurances.
He said Dr. Kasolo is an expert who the Zambian government should engage instead of threatening to revoke his secondment at WHO Africa Office for disclosing that Zambia has no capacity to contain an Ebola outbreak.
“We should listen to him. Dr Kasolo is a skilled and qualified Zambian, we should not be too quick to rubbish his statement. The truth is that we are Ebola preparedly naïve as a nation Dr Banda said.
Its small minds scared of their shadows
Where is Sauliso FK to comment? This is what happens when you indulge in foolishness. It catches up with you. Dr. Kasonde knows what he is talking about. You who spend half the time checking on who is after your PF party and Uncle Sata do not bother to check the facts. I have looked at some of the cohort papers you have presented, and see that you are a mere band wagoner. You are in your present position because your employers will take any African as not to be seen to be prejudice. Concentrate on your work in the lab. Thick head, stop sniffing those viruses, they are the cause of all this.
Government’s reaction is just out of embarrassment. Since the Ebola outbreak there has been no comment from Government to allay any concern from the members of the public until when Francis Kasolo exposed them. He could not have issued the statement carelessly if his contacts in the MOH did not share their concerns with him. The Minister has just been caught with his boxers down.
Stop eating monkey meat to avoid ebola!!
There is not cure or vaccine for this outbreak.
There is no shame in saying we are unprepared for it.
#OneZambia
Monkey, monkey meat,Kola Mwatiamvwa empire and descendants based in Zambia is likely to catch ebola.
What about malaria preparedness? What about HIV/Aids preparedness? What about diabetes preparedness? What about hypertension preparedness? The government has structures that need to be respected. The alternative is anarchy and chaos. Like all poor countries, the moral and material support from the international community is always appreciated. The information must be disseminated in a coherent manner.
Dr banda is a disappointment! its not every time and on every issue that someone should open their mouth. He knows very well that we have structures of epidermic preparedness from a health post way up to tertialy level in the MOH!! So what is he talking about? very cheap and stupid politiking!
@7,What are you talking about? Having a plan on paper is different from executing the plan. How many time have talked about pre-hospital care of accident victims and yet every day we see people perishing because of lack of seriousness from the ministry of health. If we talk of stupidity, then it is you who is stupid.
Poor Canisius Banda, all he can do now is pick crumbs from Icilema’s table to feed his family! What a waste.
This is a very concerning topic and I have been saddened to see such harsh criticism of victim’s behaviors. Even in Western nations, if someone were to contract a virus with such lethality as Ebola, the victim would wish to die at home rather than a hospital.
Regarding Banda, while he may well be correct in his assessment (I doubt any nation is fully prepared to contain a virus like this), the issue is causing chaos by the fear his statements elicited. There is a difference between notifying the public to prepare and merely announcing a lack of preparedness. One provides (or at least implies) a solution, the other does not. Without a path forward, people begin to panic and any hope of the infrastructure aiding diminishes.