The authorities in Central Equatoria State’s Kajo-Keji County Health Department have formed a task force following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), a hemorrhagic fever, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and after cases were reported in neighboring Uganda.
The county borders the Ugandan districts of Moyo and Yumbe and is vulnerable due to the porous border through which people move freely.
Anthony Akuga, the acting health director, on Wednesday told Radio Tamazuj that health and technical task forces have been formed to check the spread of Ebola, but that controlling movement through the porous border remained a challenge.
“We have gone too far with preparatory operations after we got this information about Ebola in the neighboring countries through the media,” he explained. “We have a county task force, which was set by the county health director, and a rapid response team, which is a technical team in case of any outbreak. We managed to reactivate existing team members from the county level. We also called all the health and other partners.”
“So far, we managed to hold about four meetings about awareness and a preparatory plan for training of health workers, including the task force team members,” Akuga added.
He stated that the assessment of the main border entry points has been successfully concluded and that the county is seeking support from non-governmental organizations in controlling the unofficial porous entry points.
For his part, Kajo-Keji County Commissioner Jackson Mule urged the state health ministry and NGOs to support the county health department with protective gear for health workers. He also urged the public to adhere to the precautionary measures.
“The main challenge is the protective gear. Also, we need isolation facilities in case there are suspected cases. These facilities need to be well-equipped to function well. There is also a need for a burial place if there is death, although we do not wish for it,” he said. “The second challenge is the porous border with Moyo; there are a lot of illegal routes where people can just cross without being noticed. I do not know if there will be enough drugs for Ebola.”
“However, I advise people to be well-versed in the issue of Ebola because it is along our borders; therefore, the general public should observe the precautionary preventive measures,” Commissioner Mule added.
Ebola disease, formally called Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) or Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare, severe, and frequently fatal viral illness affecting humans and non-human primates. The disease is caused by specific viruses in the Orthoebolavirus genus (family Filoviridae).
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