PHOTO | FILE | NATION Fishermen in Migingo. Kenyans on the island say the unscreened movement of Ugandans on the island may put them at risk of contracting Ebola.
August 4 2012 at 23:30
Kenyans living on the disputed Migingo Island in Lake Victoria have expressed fears they could contract the highly contagious Ebola virus.
The fishermen and traders said their Ugandan counterparts were trooping to the island in large numbers for fishing activities but were not being screened due to a lack of personnel and equipment on the island.
“We are living in extreme fear of contracting the virus which may sweep us here like bushfire due to the lack of a well-equipped medical facility. What we have is one chemist selling the basic painkillers,” said Mr Tom Jairo, a fisherman...
“We want the government to set up a screening centre in Migingo, complete with staff to take care of out safety,” added another fisherman Mr Malachi Otieno.
Migingo has a population of over 1,000 people working as traders, fishermen and sex workers, and who are mainly Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian.
Even some of the security officers who spoke to the Sunday Nation on of condition of anonymity expressed fears for their safety, saying Ugandans were visiting the island in large numbers daily.
“We are very worried and the work morale has gone low … the government should address our plight,” said one of the officers...
