Tanzania government allays fears of Ebola outbreak

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Cases of Ebola death have been reported in Uganda having spilled from DR Congo where it has killed hundreds.

Arusha. The government has once again allayed fears on Ebola, saying it was prepared to counter the deadly disease.
"We have improved our capacity to contain any outbreak", affirmed the chief medical officer Prof. Mohamed Bakari Kambi.
He said here on Wednesday that the cross border committees all over East African Community (EAC) region were on the ground to monitor the situation.

"There should not be any panic because no cases have been reported in the rest of the EAC bloc except Uganda", he pointed out.

Prof. Kambi said Tanzania will fully cooperate with her neighbours and the international community to ensure the deadly hemorrhagic fever is contained in the affected countries and does not spill further.

The chief medical officer gave the assurance when speaking to journalists after the opening of a regional health conference.

He said experts had been deployed to the key border areas along the Tanzania/Uganda and Tanzania/DRC boundaries to enhance checks on in-coming people.

Until recently, more than 2,030 people had been infected and more than 1,360 had died in DRC, making it the largest outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease the world has ever seen.

The disease was reported in Uganda last week after a five year boy died tested positive. Ever since one more death has been reported.

The Arusha-based East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) lauded the EAC for the recent simulation exercise against Ebola at Namanga border town.

ECSA-HC director general Prof. Yoswa Dambisya said his institution would assist member states to address the emerging and re-emerging diseases.
"For now we are aware of Ebola but there should be no big concern as the situation is under control", he said.

The field simulation exercise (FSX) at Namanga was aimed to assess preparedness and response capacities of the region in major outbreaks of infectious diseases.