MALAWI GOVT READY TO DEAL WITH EBOLA

Malawi Government through Chief Immigration officer Hudson Mankhwala has disclosed that government is doing whatever it can to make sure that the deadly Ebola Virus is prevented from spreading to Malawi.

The assurance comes amid fears from various stakeholders who have questioned Malawi’s Preparedness to deal with possible Ebola outbreak as Flames prepare to host Benin, a nation from the affected West Africa region in an African Cup Of Nation (AFCON) qualifiers game.

Mankhwala said the Immigration officers in the country’s borders and airports are working with ministry of health officials to among others improve screening of people coming into the country.

According to World Health Organization, as of July 23, there were more than 1,300 cases of the Ebola virus in the West African countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and with as many as 729 deaths.

The fast-acting Ebola virus, which first appeared in 1976, produces a violent hemorrhagic fever that leads to internal and external bleeding.

The infection is transmitted by direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, and tissues of infected people or animals.

Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.