Source: Ebola alert as Hurungwe activates emergency preparedness -Newsday Zimbabwe
HURUNGWE district has activated emergency Ebola preparedness systems amid growing concern that its location along Zimbabwe’s main north-south highway corridor leaves it vulnerable to cross-border infection risk.
An emergency risk management meeting held in Karoi this week brought together district hospital officials, health teams and stakeholders from several government ministries.
The move follows confirmation by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the World Health Organisation of an Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain. Cases and deaths have been recorded in health zones in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
Unlike previous Ebola strains, Bundibugyo has no licensed vaccine or approved treatment, making prevention and surveillance critical.
District medical officer Munyaradzi Chidaushe said Hurungwe could not afford to be complacent because of its proximity to major regional transport routes.
“We must be geared as it is spreading rapidly and we must be prepared as we are not spared. Karoi is near Chirundu and it is within the regional corridor from South Africa to the northern territory, including Zambia, DRC, Tanzania and Uganda,” he said.
District officials confirmed that an isolation centre has been established at Chirundu Border Post, about 180km from Karoi.
Health authorities are screening travellers at Chirundu, with officials warning that cross-border movement increases the risk of transmission.
Hurungwe RDC official Raymond Chetse said port health posts were operational and staff were undergoing training. He said Chirundu remained the key focus because it handled thousands of trucks and informal traders daily.
District development coordinator Andrew Tizora warned that increased movement associated with the tobacco marketing season heightened exposure risk.
“Movement of people puts the town at risk. We must start the ball rolling with companies checking temperatures at buying points,” he said.
Tizora called for an isolation centre in Karoi, arguing that the district should not rely solely on facilities at Chirundu.
Meanwhile, Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike urged the Health ministry to strengthen coordination with development partners and enhance surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, case management, logistics and border health services.
“Screening of travellers should be enhanced at high-risk points of entry,” Rusike said, adding that authorities should also counter misinformation through timely and accurate public communication.
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