Lack of Ebola intervention worries Chitipa communities
People at Ipenza and Kameme in Chitipa District have expressed worry over the delay by health officials to start Ebola campaigns despite the areas being prominent entry points for illegal immigrants.
The two areas are close to Tanzania and illegal immigrants freely pass through the areas and mix with Malawians.
Spot checks conducted last week by The Nation in the areas also found that there are some people who were not aware of the deadly disease.
Village Head (VH) Mdimachalo of Ipenza said people in his area do not know the signs of Ebola or the countries that have been heavily affected by the epidemic.
Chitipa Police spokesperson Solemn Chunga urged government to treat Chitipa as a special case, warning the district has porous borders; as such, it would be easy for the virus to spread if campaigns are not conducted.
He said there are no screening facilities at the district’s borders with Zambia and Tanzania.
“Screening is done at the boma, but the challenge remains that most people use illegal routes,” said Chunga.
But Ministry of Health spokesperson Henry Chimbali said in an interview government already empowered health officials in the district to sensitise people to the disease and screen people entering the country.
