HARARE, May 26 (Xinhua/GNA) — The Zimbabwean Cabinet, on Tuesday approved the establishment of a contingency fund, to strengthen the country’s preparedness against the Ebola virus disease.
While Zimbabwe has not reported any suspected or confirmed Ebola cases so far, the country remains at high risk of cross-border transmission, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda said at a post-cabinet media briefing.
“Zimbabwe’s risk is primarily driven by population mobility across regional borders, necessitating strengthened early detection, rapid containment capacity, and revamped border health security measures,” Soda said.
He noted that the contingency fund will be utilized to strengthen surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, infection prevention, control, and rapid response deployment.
The minister assured the public of the government’s preparedness, noting that Zimbabwe already has an integrated disease surveillance and response system in place, supported by weekly epidemiological reporting and trained personnel.
However, the evolving regional situation presents an opportunity to further fortify real-time alert systems and coordination mechanisms, Soda added.
The World Health Organization, has declared the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
GN