ZIMBABWE and Chinese authorities are encouraging travellers
between the two countries to either delay or cancel unnecessary journeys to
stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which has killed 81 people
in the Asian country from 2 886 confirmed cases of infection in the past month.
Surveillance systems in Zimbabwe have also been activated
with special focus being put on the main ports of entry and exit; Robert
Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Joshua Nkomo International Airport and
Victoria Falls and Beitbridge ground ports.
This comes as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on
Sunday announced a US$10 million commitment in emergency funds and additional
technical support to help responders in China and Africa contain the spread of
the 2019-nCoV.
In a statement, the foundation said US$5 million will go to
China while the other half will assist the Africa Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention in scaling up public health measures against 2019-nCoV among
African Union (AU) member states.
“These measures will include technical support to implement
the screening and treatment of suspected cases, laboratory confirmation of
2019-nCoV diagnoses and the safe isolation and care of identified cases,” said
the foundation.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has confirmed that
Zimbabwe is under threat from the disease due to its close relations with
China. Zimbabwe, however, does not have direct flights to and from
China, which minimises the risk.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo yesterday
toured Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport’s surveillance section to
assess the screening of people coming into Zimbabwe.
Dr Moyo said he was happy with the process adding that they
were going to perfect some of the areas.
“It is necessary that as the Ministry of Health and
Government of Zimbabwe that we protect our nation against any outbreaks of
diseases and at this particular instance we are dealing and talking about the
novel Coronavirus.
“The epicentre at the moment is Wuhan Province in China and
we are very happy that we have been communicating with the Chinese Embassy and
they have also advised us that they have also put a delay in travel and
cancelling unnecessary travels to Zimbabwe so that is good.
“There are Zimbabweans who are also living in China and
some who fly to China for business, we have heard one or two cases and we are
currently monitoring them.
“We have to make sure that we have all the equipment
necessary to detect any persons or visitors to make sure that they do not
and so we are making sure that our airports are well
covered and that our personnel are well-trained in the processes of checking on
all those who are coming to Zimbabwe,” he said.
Although no cases are confirmed in African nations, health
officials in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday said they were investigating a suspected
case of a student arriving in Abidjan from Wuhan, the Chinese province at the
epicentre of the outbreak. It is the first such case on the continent.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO),
coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the
common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The virus is highly contagious and there is no cure for
Coronavirus as with most viral infections.
So far, only experimental treatments have been used in
China with success in stabilising patients. An ARV, Kaletra (ritonavir and lopinavir) has been used. Coronavirus symptoms include pneumonia, high fever, flu
like symptoms, chest pains, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.
Precautions include covering the mouth when coughing or
sneezing, washing hands the same way as people do when guarding against cholera
and typhoid.
Although Zimbabwe is located thousands of miles away from
the source of the coronavirus, it remains at great risk considering the volume
of traffic the country gets from China for tourism and business.
A novel coronavirus, is a new strain of virus that has not
been previously identified in human beings.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care said in the case of
the disease spreading to Zimbabwe, it was prepared to deal with it despite the
difficult operating environment.
Since last week, almost 70 people who arrived from Wuhan
have been under monitoring for the signs and symptoms of the rare respiratory
infection.
The people will be monitored for 21 days although they are
not under quarantine. They are however, expected to inform the Ministry of
Health of their whereabouts and are encouraged to report any symptoms.
Minister Moyo said the ministry was making all efforts to
make sure the virus did not end up in Zimbabwe. Herald
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