| Suspected Ebola samples sent to Chief Chemist |
| Monday, 06 August 2012 09:22 |
Bukoba. Samples from a patient believed to have contracted Ebola, have been sent to Dar es Salaam for study. At the same time, the government through the ministry of Health and Social Welfare has urged Tanzanians to stay calm as it works to verify the samples in order to establish if the said patient has contracted the disease, which of late has been ravaging neighbouring Uganda. The six-year old patient has been admitted to Nyakahanga District Hospital in Karagwe, after showing symptoms which resemble those of Ebola. The Karagwe District medical officer, Dr Andrew Cesari, said yesterday that the samples were dispatched to Dar es Salaam yesterday. He said the samples were taken by experts from the ministry who arrived in Karagwe yesterday to make a follow up. “We received five experts from the ministry of Health... we have already conducted preliminary analysis of the sample which have been forwarded to Dar es Salaam for detailed analysis to establish what has affected that particular patient,” he said. Dr Cesari added that although the samples have been forwarded to Dar es Salaam, experts from the ministry are still on the ground and they will visit various areas to check over the possibility of ebola eruption. On the condition of the patient, he said she was doing fine and all symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea as well as body bleeding have been controlled. “But she is still under close supervision from medical experts,” he said, noting that there was no cause for alarm as the situation has been put under control. As a precaution, Dr Cesari said people should not transport any patient who would show such symbtoms. “Any patient who shows such symptoms should not be touched and we should be notified immediately. We will go anywhere after getting informed of such cases,” he said. He noted that since the disease can be transmitted through skin contact, it is advisable to avoid touching such patients. “Sending such a patient in a public transport will expose many people to risk of contracting the disease,” he elaborated. Meanwhile, a ministry of Health and Social Welfare official, Mr Nsachriss Mwamaja, said yesterday that the public should not panic over the Ébola reports as every precaution was being taken to ensure that the disease is controlled. He said once the checks are completed in Dar es Salaam, the government would publish the results. He said people living along the border with Uganda have been trained on the symptoms of the disease and what to do once they detect it. He also said equipment for containing the disease have already been sent to the area. Additional reporting by Geofrey Nyang’oro http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/24647-suspected-ebola-samples-sent-to-chief-chemist |
