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President Mugabe

Farirai Machivenyika Harare Bureau
Zimbabwe is considering withdrawing security details serving in Liberia on United Nations peacekeeping duties following the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in that country.
Zimbabwe has police, soldiers and prison officers on UN duty in Liberia, one of the countries that have been hit by the outbreak.  Sierra Leone and Guinea have also been affected by the outbreak that has claimed the lives of over 900 people.

“When it’s announced that in some country perhaps far away from us that some incurable disease has emerged, do we begin to worry about that?” said President Mugabe while he was officially opening the Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting in Harare yesterday.

“It’s Dr (David) Parirenyatwa (Minister of Health and Child Care) who informed me yesterday when after cabinet I asked whether it’s not necessary for us to withdraw our people from Liberia and he said no let us wait a bit because from the ministry they have also just sent a doctor also to go and help in Liberia.

“But this morning, quite early, he said he had re-thought the matter perhaps we should withdraw our people and these don’t just include police officers, but there are said also to be prison officers.”

President Mugabe questioned why prison officers had also been seconded to take part in UN duties.
“We send prison officers there; can the Liberians not do the jobs themselves?)  Aah or does this arise from our desire of departments also wanting to have their men going out?” he said.

“ The correctional services say other security forces are sending officers there, so they want to do the same)  I don’t know, I will investigate this a little more.

“Anyway, I was just talking of the need for us to take precautions. We must not expose ourselves unnecessarily. I hope those who will be from there if we withdraw them will be people who will not carry magerms eEbola iyoyii for now we have been safe in our region.”

President Mugabe said it was important that people took responsibility of their health by going for regular medical check-ups.
“It is absolutely necessary that every six months or once a year we present ourselves to a doctor to be thoroughly examined. The bodies we carry are frail bodies disease or ailments can develop within us,” President Mugabe said

Meanwhile, Sadc ministers of health held an extra-ordinary meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday to build a consensus on appropriate strategic actions to prevent the introduction and or spread of Ebola in the region.

The meeting was attended by Sadc ministers of health, their senior officials, World Health Organisation and the Sadc secretariat.
In a statement after the meeting, the ministers called on member states to accelerate their responses in the event of an Ebola outbreak in the region in accordance with the International Health Regulation standards that stress the need for national coordination and leadership, and enhancement of cross border collaboration and involvement of communities.