Passengers aboard a fastjet Airways flight, which landed at
Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on Wednesday went into a panic mode
after one of the passengers complained of a headache and body weakness,
symptoms synonymous with the dreaded Ebola virus.
The unidentified man, believed to be a cross-border truck
driver, was coming home for his holiday when he suddenly fell ill.
Director of epidemiology and disease control at the
Ministry of Health and Child Care, Portia Manangazira said they made
arrangements to have him carted in an ambulance for further assessment.
“Actually, by the time he arrived at the hospital his
temperature had lowered. We are not worried, tests were conducted and correct
procedures followed,” she said.
The plane was disinfected as per the standard procedure. “There
is no need to panic. Actually it showed that our surveillance system is
functional,” Manangazira said.
Harare city health director, Prosper Chonzi said the man
had no critical symptoms synonymous with Ebola and his temperature was normal
as of Wednesday.
“He was just complaining of a headache. It could be
anything. The symptoms are not typically those of Ebola. He has no fever, there
was no bleeding anywhere on his body and his temperature is normal,” he said.
“The patient flew in from South Africa after he had been to
Lubumbashi where he left his delivery truck. Lubumbashi has no known cases of
Ebola, but the northern cities.”
Chonzi said they had engaged a specialist to look into the
matter and the truck driver was still hospitalised at Parirenyatwa Group of
Hospitals awaiting results of more tests. Newsday
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