The Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) has dispelled assertions that delegates from Sierra Leone, who arrived in Livingstone ahead of the 32nd Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) Conference, were not screened for the contagious Ebola virus.
ECZ Principal Examinations Officer, Albert Siamunako, said all delegates from West Africa arriving in the country through the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport have been screened and would be subjected to daily screening during their stay in Zambia.
Speaking during a press briefing at Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone today, Mr Siamunako acknowledged that five delegates from Sierra Leone were turned away from a named hotel on Friday but were later accommodated after the Ministry of Health intervened.
“It is true that on the first day (Friday) we had five delegates from Sierra Leone who were not allowed to stay at one of the hotels here in Livingstone. But After Ministry of Health intervened, they were allowed and more delegates from West Africa are being allowed to check into lodges and hotels now,” he said.
Mr Siamunako explained that a task force comprising of the Ministry of Health, National Airports Corporation, Immigration Department, the Zambia Air Force and Ministry of Education as organizers of the conference was set up to implement measures of how to contain the disease in case of an outbreak.
“A surveillance team is already in place and the Ministry of Health has distributed protective clothing to officers at entry points and airports where delegates are being screened. Each time a plane lands, our delegates are being screened before they are allowed to check out. So the misconceptions going round that delegates are not being screened are not true,” he said.
He urged all stakeholders invited for the conference to attend without fear of stigmatisation as the Ministry of Health had put all possible measures in place to safeguard them against the deadly disease.
Over 100 delegates from West Africa are expected to attend the 32ndAEAA Conference taking place in Livingstone from 11th to 15thAugust, 2014 out of the 345 total participants from different examining boards in Africa and abroad.
Yesterday, Health Minister, Joseph Kasonde, clarified that government had not banned entry into Zambia of all individuals and nationals coming from Ebola Virus -affected countries but had merely issued a travel advisory memo as a precaution to prevent the disease from reaching the country.
Good ! Precaution is important. Continue screening them, they might be within the 21 incubation period Ebola takes.Make sure to screen even those Zambian spiritual tourists coming from TB Joshua for miracles.
God help my country.If Ebola came it can leave a very devastating effect on the population.The way we clam ourselves in these buses will be one of the ways it will spread easily once introduced to Zambia.
@Saulosi,
This is where you shine. Only if you could keep to what you know best than padding through articles like a sick duck. You would be well appreciated if you displayed your expertise and contributed to the prevention of Ebola than you exposing your ignorance on matters of political nature. As you can see you can’t be a Jack of all trades. Here kudos.
what do you mean screened???,,, these people from west africa were supposed to be put in cages away from zambians and fumigated everyday for at least 30days before allowed into the country,,,,, imwe bantu ebola is dangerous and has no cure,,,, think!! dont use stup!dity to solve a problem
UPND IS COMPLAINING THAT THE GRZ HAS ACTED AGAINST THE UN LAWS BANNING EBOLA AFFECTED COUNTRIES VISITORS INTO THE COUNTRY, AND OTHERS AGAIN ARE COMPLAINING THAT THEY ARE ALLOWING THEM IN UNCHECKED. SO THE GRZ SHOULD JUST DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ZAMBIA’S RESIDENTS AND FORGET ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE UN LAWS RATHER THAN ZAMBIAN PEOPLE AND OTHER RESIDENTS.
Screening is not enough make sure you do a thorough check including those with imibinde, you will never know who is carring some test tube Ebola fluids then smear themselves like perfume! Dont be too nice Zambians this is btwn life and death. Zambians have never had any crisis amounted to such magnituted thats why we are very restless now! Otherwise, this is not about being uninformed or stone hearted it’s just the way it is… the Law of survival is cruel but the only way!
The ban could have been better mwe.You are just endangering Zambians in your attempt to sound politically correct.
@saulosi,man looks like you got no normal functionary principles,yesterday you supported 100 % the travel ban,today u again support the advisory memo.as you claim to be an intellectual,which I don’t doubt,try to use your knowledge to enlighten others by being principled,don’t be an attention seeker like mushota.you support all policies of pf administration ,u can still be pf but offer a different view unlike your current trend.
@ Harry,
Just imagine the entire Africa Blanketed with this Virus, do you suppose for one second the West will hesitate closing the “Window of entry?” This is when I hate Zambians politeness More or less like an in born dullness if you ask me! Be like the West, when it comes to matters of protecting their own citizens nothing else comes first. Please don’ts start giving me ideas of thinking you may want the out break on our shores purpôsely so you can get some free money? I never trust Humans they can get twisted ideas just to highly benefit, if they can make profits from war what about this? Besides it’s ravergely swift one has no time!
@Sauliso, @ Chikubabeniso
Listen to Chikubabeniso he has a point. What he is saying has been exactly my point. Shade off the chameleon colors and swinging on the pendulum just to seek attention. You enjoy praise from minions like Nostradamus, Nubian Princess and others. It has gone to your head like a virus. You are a grown up listen to what others are telling you. Debate intellectually and agree where their is a genuine and obvious point. Not always you way. You are above that.
Worse is that its ECZ “screening” for ebola. How can ECZ screen anything, if they could not even see the ugliness of those statues at their offices?
Cancel all such future events or advise delegates from the countries NOT TO TRAVEL. This Zambian obssession with workshops (allowances) is NOT worth the risk of importing ebola!! Stop all those trips to TB Joshua. Otherwise we are sitting on a ticking time bomb!
Agree with you, Poverty dictates utu ma allowances!!
Really hope they are screening these patients and daily checks are to be implemented as we don’t want an outbreak in Zambia……. This is ebola we are talking about.
How are the screenings done because it takes 21 days for the disease to produce symptoms.
@Zambia…. can you direct your questions to the right persons… am simply quoting,…
Please no TB Joshua trips for now my fellow Zambians.You don’t have to go all the way to Nigeria.Use Imakando or Even pastor Mumba or Father Bwalya instead.
@ Mary, I agree with you. Henceforth all trips to West Africa should be stopped. Those who flock to TB Joshua should know that even himself has advised those from ebola affected areas to stay where they are. They should not go to his church.
Finish those people have brought it.
CNN is right now (12:10 central time) saying that in Zambia its an outright travel ban.So which is which – a ban or a travel adivisory?
This ebola outbreak is a new stain. The ebola that we heard of some time back in Congo had no such ferocity. It was contained and death toll had no international ripple effects. But this one could turn into an epidemic with unprecedented catastrophic consequences. Like AIDS, this ebola is said to be a disease spread through human contact. Unlike AIDS, This ebola can also be contracted from a polluted environment where ebola virus is found. This ebola can be transmitted from animals to humans especially by eating bush meat. There is no known cure for ebola yet, but scientists and medical experts are trying hard to eliminate the virus that causes ebola. Among a number of medical trials employed so far is one which involves tobacco syrup. It proved to be very effective in monkeys.
Ebola is originally from bats. It has an incubation period of 21 days and you can’t catch it in those 21 days until some body becomes acutely ill and almost incapacitated. You can even tell which person can give you the disease as they will be too ill even to stand. For you to catch it you will have to come into physical contact of body fluids of the infected person. I hear the tone and fear of Zambians but it’s not a disease that can wipe you out, in west Africa it’s more advance because of the way they stay and cultural aspects. Yes prevention is good but don’t panic for now. I spoke to some Zambians in the affected countries today & they say they expect numbers to come down due to awareness levels improving. They are mostly NGO guys and working normally
Even if a person exhibits no signs or symptoms of Ebola, he or she can still spread the virus during the Ebola incubation period. Once Ebola virus symptoms begin, the person can remain contagious for about three more weeks.
@Meckson,
Fear is the best weapon for survival! Yes all sorts of sources will come up with the cause and what not but that shouldn’t mean people have to keep cool and do nothing about it. The earlier the gong sounds the better as such Viruses are normally a Time Bomb. Precautions must be taken to make sure prevention is achieved at its highest level.Imagine such an out break even in a single second? Besides… People are already fighting other deadly diseases, Ebola would be leathal as the ARVS would end up blowing victims instead of actively slowing the virus of Aids! We dont want a “Combi Virus” Probably thats why the deaths are so high for we have no information of the patients medical records! Yes everyone will soon know the cause of this virus but is there a cure or an…
Or an Antidote?!!
Meckson, shi nashako!! The way we live in Chawama is very similiar to the way they live in West Africa – Poverty over!!
However you are very right with the 21day or so incubation, HENCE THE FUTILITY OF THE SCREENING! Most EFFECTIVE way to screen people from that area, IS TO QUARANTINE THEM FOR 21 DAYS, hence the IMMEDIATE NEED FOR A BAN FOR PEOPLE COMING DIRECTLY FROM THAT AREA!! It will save the pain & expense of running a quarantine!!
But also the testimonies from those who have recovered from the disease have been extremely encouraging in West Africa. We have a fair number of people who have recovered and have all mentioned early treatment. Once they felt the symptoms and especially the high fever, they rushed to the hospital and fully recovered. In West Africa, one of the challenges has been people shunning the Ebola centers not wanting to be quarantined and ending up infecting others. It is a highly infectious disease but not highly contagious. Health authorities will expound my last sentence for you
Contagious, infectious are usually distinguished in technical medical use. Contagious, literally “communicable by contact,” describes a very easily transmitted disease as influenza or the common cold. Infectious refers to a disease involving a microorganism that can be transmitted from one person to another only by a specific kind of contact; venereal diseases are usually infectious. In nontechnical senses, contagious emphasizes the rapidity with which something spreads!
Now mEckson explain yourself
“Speaking during a press briefing at Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone today, Mr Siamunako acknowledged that five delegates from Sierra Leone were turned away from a named hotel on Friday but were later accommodated after the Ministry of Health intervened”. This is really IRRESPONSIBLE. These sierra leonne delegates should have been TURNED BACK at the airport/refused entry. Seychelles has just refused entry of sierra leone football national team players for CAF 2015 qualifier! Stup*d id*otic Zambians!!
Not sure what the survivors or those who were cured were given as medication but it would be interesting for health authorities to tell us. My colleagues on the ground in a province called Lofa in Liberia where the disease has been most prevalent say there are some people who still say the disease does not exist. Again if you see the death rate its mostly relatives of the patients and health care workers who have died because it is a disease that is transmitted by close physical contact, otherwise the rest of the people are going about their business
Absolutely no need to turn people away at airports, let them in but screen them. It is not a disease that should warrant that. Every life is precious but 1000 people dead amongst 3 countries from February means it is still manageable if you do your maths despite the WHO alert. We are aware of some countries who have inflated their figures of fatalities to get the share of the 200 million dollars being mobilized by the world bank, but hey leave the borders open.
1000 dead is 999 too many, period.
West africans are not as good like us.East +southern africa,maybe.But culturally,linguistically and diet-wise we’re too different from these west african sub-species.They love wars,they eat skunk,speak gibberish,they’re far dirtier and thus open to disease.Keep those west african mofos outta zambia.
@Mzambia wa zamani,you cannot denigrate fellow Africans like that and expect other races to respect us!! Ebola is just a disease which if you have seen is endemic to certain regions in Africa. Just last year this disease was in East Africa,Uganda where you say may they (East Africans ) are closer to us ,and indeed closer. Some years back it was in DRC- that is how close it can get! This time is looks like West Africa’s problem but….it is our problem too as Africans! So hold your fire and promote African esteem by respecting fellow Africans. MAY BE be YOU are NOT even ZAMBIAN,LET ALONE AFRICAN!!
@zambian4life- well said .Africans,whether black,asian or white are all valuable, respectable and worthy of human dignity.
Zamani, no. 14, for you specially, please watch this video of the Karan Tribe eating fruit bats. Confirm to yourself that your prejudices are healthy. video/national geographic/eating bats
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/newguinea-eatingbats-pp
Chaps should have stuck with the original pronouncement of banning ANYONE travelling from these countries. Thats why politicians are a$$holes also. The other day, UPND, which I support, stated that the government did not have measures in place to deal with Ebola. The govt, which I do not support, announced that there was a ban. UPND then comes up with the nonsense of saying the ban goes against UN health whatever. Fcuk the UN health whatever. If Ebola starts mu Zed these UN charter issues will not be here to help. Sometimes we need to be ruthless in order to ensure the health of our citizens, not smiling and being nice all the time!
ladies and gentlemen, even if we ban people from affected countries, our people still travel and freely mingle in airports, plans, ships and buses. The same Zambians can still bring the virus in the country, so the best way is sensitization on the disease not the ban which is not the best at the moment.