…as Ebola Death Toll Hits 12,000…
The bodies of Zimbabweans who have died while in West African countries hit by the Ebola virus, are no longer allowed into the country, government has announced.
The Ministry of Health announced Friday that the move is to minimise the risk of infection in the country.
The Director of Disease Control, Dr Portia Manangazira said, “We have moved to minimise as much as possible the risk of ebola infection by blocking corpses from ebola hit countries.
“It is for that reason that the repatriation of bodies from Ebola affected countries is prohibited,” she said.
She without revealing the statistics of dead bodies received into the country from the same country this year, continued saying government is following international health guidelines.
“Burials should be dealt with there and this is consistent with international health regulations,” she said.
The report came as it emerged total number of people killed worldwide by the Ebola virus has reached 12,000 according to the latest statistical report published by the World Health Organization.
The current Ebola endemic began in southern Guinea and later spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal and has infected a total of 24,992 people since the outbreak started in 2014, according to the WHO report.
Some 4,000 deaths from the disease have been registered in Liberia, with the largest number of lethal cases being accounted for Sierra Leone, as Ebola virus killed 11,889 people there, the report said.
Although there is no officially approved medication for the disease, several countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan are currently working on developing the vaccine.
In January, Russia’s Health Ministry said that a Russian-made vaccine may become available for mass use in early 2016.
Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/ebola-death-toll-worldwide-exceeds-10000-who/#jyDbBPdMf2Hcp9Ul.99