‘Ebola fleeing’ Cameroonians trapped at borders

Cameroonians fleeing from the Ebola virus in neighbouring Nigeria after five deaths have been reported due to the Ebola Virus, are now trapped at the borders between the two countries.

This follows the recent decision by the Government to close the borders and rigorously check the movement of persons and goods between the two countries in order to prevent the virus from spreading into Cameroon.

Even though Cameroonians in Nigeria and other Ebola infested countries in West Africa have been allowed to return home because of the outbreak of the epidemic, certain conditions have been put in place by the Government for returning Cameroonians to fulfil before gaining access into the country amongst which are; passing through a quarantine, being observed and monitored for at least 21 days and must be disinfected by the medical teams that have been stationed along the borders.

Though these measures have been put in place by Government, Commissioner Michel Detto observed that some Cameroonians who were returning from Nigeria have been trapped at the border, as the forces of law and order and the medical team that has been dispatched by Government are insisting that they must fulfill the conditions that have been put in place by the Government, even though the quarantine and the disinfectant facilities have not yet been made available.

Commissioner Detto appealed to the Government to hasten arrangements to have these citizens back. As he recounted, among the Cameroonians trapped is a pregnant woman who was at the point of birth.

He was speaking at the Southwest Governor’s office on August 19, during an enlarged meeting of the Southwest Regional Committee for the Prevention and Fight against Epidemics.

Presiding over the enlarged meeting, the Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, said the instructions given to those at the borders must be strictly followed, given that the Southwest Region is closest to Nigeria with entry points such as the ports of Tiko, Idenau, the creek of Mbonge and the Mamfe-Ekok corridor.

According to him, all necessary measures are being taken to ensurethat the returning Cameroonians are not infected. Governor Okalia Bilai added that the measures put in place by Government do not respect even Cameroon diplomats from Ebola declared countries, as they too have to pass through the same process before getting into the country.

He urged all Cameroonians, especially those of the Southwest Region, to respect all measures prescribed by medics and exhorted media practitioners to educate the population on the dangers of the virus through their media outlets,in order to makeCameroon an Ebola-free country.

“We are blessed because no case has been found in Cameroon and we should continue to take instructions from the health authorities so as to remain safe from the disease,” Okalia asserted.

Wake-keepings Barred, Coffins Must Be Sealed After the meeting, the Governor reiterated that all wake-keepings with corpses in the Southwest Region have been banned and that all coffins from the mortuary on transit to either the church or compound for burial should be sealed with zinc.

Earlier in his presentation, the Southwest Regional Delegate of Public Health, Dr Victor Mbome Njie, stated that Cameroon is not only in the pre-epidemic phase of the Ebola Virus, but is equally serological to the epidemic. This, he said, is because Cameroon is very close to Nigeria.

Dr Mbome, nonetheless said, the key to prevention requires a multi-sectorial collaboration between the health, administrative, council and the general public, via sensitising the population, avoiding manipulation of dead animals and respecting basic hygienic conditions. He equally advised the population to avoid eating bats and apes and consuming fruits that have been eaten by birds, as bats are said to be the main carriers of the virus.

The Delegate also beseeched health personnel to be meticulous in performing their duties. According to Dr Mbome, health personnel are the most vulnerable groups to the Ebola Virus, as 30 medics taking care of patients in the Ebola infested countries in West Africa have already lost their lives.

The Delegate fears that if the Virus should eventually glide into the country, the Southwest Region may be confronted by inadequate health personnel, lack of vehicles and ambulances, communication difficulties with frontier districts, among others.