The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has appealed to the government to implement the International Health Regulations (IHR) as guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a bid to safeguard the citizens from international health threats such as Ebola.
UPND Vice President Dr. Canicius Banda has told QFM News in a statement that all points of entry need to be manned by suitable public health officers at all times.
Dr. Banda notes that on each of these requirements, Zambia is not ready, and with the fiscal crisis that the country is currently facing, people need to pray that this Ebola outbreak just does not reach the country.
He says this is also why his party shall continue to call upon the Justice Minister and PF Secretary General Wynter Kabimba, to stop smuggling people into the country.
Dr. Banda states that it is because of such activities that Ebola can be brought into the country, and subsequently the lives of citizens can be severely endangered.
He has since urged the government to focus on doing the right things for the sake of national unity and development.
Dr. Banda, who is also a professional Medical Doctor, explains that the signs and symptoms of Ebola include headache, sweating, sneezing, body malaise, vomiting blood, coughing blood, blood in stool and prostration.
He furthermore explains that the disease often shows one to three weeks following exposure and that it can be spread from person to person through direct contact.
He says a nearly everyone that catches Ebola dies and that it is for this reason that the people should continue to pray for each other.