Dowa District Commissioner has asked health NGOs in the district to civic educate community members on the issues of Ebola disease so that refugees at Dzaleka Camp and locals in Dowa should be imparted with information about the pandemic.
Speaking during a District executive council committee meeting held at Dowa boma, the DC Alex Mdooko said even though Malawi has not registered any Ebola disease case, there’s a great need for the district to plan in advance so that communities are aware of the preventive measures.
Mdooko asked the non-governmental organisations to implement various interventions in the camp including screening all the refugees coming from DRC as an alert measure against the deadly disease.
He also said that out of the 45,000 who registered as refugees staying in the camp, physical counting has revealed that many of these have trekked to the cities, towns and districts for various businesses, a development which is putting the screening process at risk.
The DC then asked all NGO health stakeholders to work together in awareness campaigns in readiness to what may happen in case the disease hits the district.
He expressed hope that the district will succeed in laying out preventive measures against Ebola saying the battle is for all despite the fact that the disease has not hit Malawi.
The DHO, Authorities and the police service have already started putting in mechanisms in readiness of the disease.
Dzaleka camp has over 45,000 refugees from Burundi, Ethiopia, and Rwanda among others where it reported that Ebola disease is at on the rise.
