The risk of catching Ebola across borders is "real"

The Cameroonian Minister of public health André Mama Fouda, recently sounded an alert on the risk of the importation of the Ebola virus to the country.

He, in a communication to the press, invited health workers to apply to all patients the safety precautions: hand and respiratory hygiene, wearing individual protective equipment, injection safety, cutting out the traditional funeral rites etc in preparation for a possible emergence of Ebola in Cameroon.

André Mama Fouda said that a plan has already been prepared with partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), with surveillance strengthened at all border health districts and airports.

"This surveillance, he said, is part of a network of partnership and multifaceted exchanges involving not only countries in epidemic, but also all the other African countries." Outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which placed at the disposition of Cameroon two "Ebola kits" containing 100 armor for medical personnel, the Minister of Health announced the alliance in terms of acquisition of equipment, the support of patients and protection of health personnel.

Also, he that, units of insulation of cases have already been identified in eight regional pharmacies. On other alerts of public health issues, Mama Fouda said that Cameroon recorded 1609 cases of cholera with 74 deaths in 6 August, and 5 cases of wild poliovirus since the beginning of the year.