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Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has indicated that it will step up measures to protect the Bulawayo community from Ebola ahead of the African Union Sports Council Region 5 under-20 Youth Games to be held in the city next month.

A team of health officials from the Matabeleland provinces will be assembled to work during the course of the sporting event that will kick off on December 5.

Speaking on the sidelines of a breakfast meeting held in Bulawayo to source funds to fight Ebola, director of epidemiology Portia Manangazira said a team will be put on alert during the Games in Bulawayo to prevent any risk from the visitors.

“We don’t have power to stop people from coming into the country but what we want is to ensure public safety. We will conduct screening at major ports of entry when the participants of the Games are coming and everyone will be screened according to their travel records,” said Manangazira.

She said the ministry was still in the process of selecting the team that will be on standby during the Games.

“As for the team, it is still work in progress and we will announce that soon. Our focus is on Ebola as we do not want to take chances,” said Manangazira.

Ten countries from the region will converge in Bulawayo for the Games that start on December 5 and end on December 14. Participants will compete in athletics, netball, swimming, basketball, football, tennis, boxing and judo.

Participants are expected in the country a few days before the kick off date.

“The health teams at the ports of entry will disseminate information to our health team on standby on those suspected to be infected for a quick response. We will also be issuing specific information targeting those attending the games,” said Manangazira.

She said that there will be monitoring mechanism to ensure effective surveillance throughout the course of the Games.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said 852 Zimbabweans have so far have been screened at the country’s entry points since the outbreak of Ebola.

From the figures recorded 529 were coming home from Nigeria, 41 from Liberia, 65 from Sierra Leone, four from Guinea, two from Senegal and 211 from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These are statistics of Zimbabwean citizens who were screened and monitored on their return from the affected countries and none of them tested positive for Ebola.

The ministry has drawn a budget of $11 million to finance its fight against Ebola with funds expected to fund the key thematic areas that include surveillance and case detection, case management, infection prevention and control, social mobilisation, coordination and logistics.

The ministry is appealing to the corporate sector to raise the $11 million.

Ebola, the deadliest virus known to man, has killed at least 5,400 people in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia since it broke out in March this year.

About 90 percent of people who contract Ebola die. The virus causes internal and external bleeding and damages the immune system and organs. The virus may be contracted through contact with blood or body fluids of the infected.