Contingency Plan To Fight Against Ebola Made Public In Bamenda

In a crises meeting organized by North West Governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique in his office on Thursday August 14 to marshal measures to contain any eventuality of the deadly ebola virus, the Chief executive debunked the allegation that a case of ebola was spotted in the Region. The meeting occasioned the presentation of a contingency plan crafted out by the Regional Delegate of Health Dr. Victor Ndiforchu.

This contingency plan according to Dr. Ndiforchu is to avert any pandemic from the ebola virus that is next door Nigeria given that Cameroon and North West in particular shares a very long boundary. To be on the alert the public has to sensitize to remain vigilant and report any case. Dr. Ndiforchu said it is better to raise a false alarm than to miss a true case of ebola. To make this plan effective it requires a holistic approach getting everybody involved most especially the media. Training workshop be organized to educate people on how to henceforth handle corpses given that the cause of death might be ebola virus. Ambulance buses should be stationed in all administrative headquarters in the Region to rush any suspected case for treatment in isolation.

Any movement of animals especially cattle on transhumance and transit across the border has been suspended and surveillance network be planted at all entry point to check on suspected case. Travelers shall be required to sign in their telephone number to facilitate contact in case of an outbreak. Poachers should be careful as they move about in wild not to touch any dead game and foresters should be careful when seizing game from illegal poachers or else they would be seizing death instead.

 The public has been cautioned against eating game of all type given that how these game are killed is not known. Following text messages circulated in the country by unknown sources has affected the brisk business on pork consumption that use to be the order of day at drinking spots. Bats are said to carry the ebola virus so people are advised not to eat any of it.