NO EBOLA IN MOZAMBIQUE, SAYS HEALTH MINISTRY

The Mozambican Health Ministry on Thursday denied reports circulating on Facebook and other social media according to which two patients suffering from the deadly hemorrhagic fever Ebola were admitted on Wednesday to Maputo Central Hospital.“I would like to reassure all our users that fortunately so far we have had no cases reported in the central hospital”, the hospital’s director, Joao Fumane told a press conference. “I would like to add that we are prepared so that, if a case does appear, we shall identify it and guarantee that the disease does not spread”.The Facebook message seen by AIM and MOZNews , also circulating as a mobile phone text message, said “the most alarming news has just arrived from Mozambique. The news that everybody prayed would never arrive…. Ebola is in Mozambique. 

Confirmed tonight (Wednesday) by Maputo Central Hospital, there are already two patients in quarantine because of the disease”.Since the Hospital is cited as the source of the report, and has roundly denied saying anything of the sort, it can only be concluded that the anonymous message is a malicious attempt to spread fear and panic.For his part, the national director of public health, Francisco Mbofana, told reporters that efforts are being redoubled, in light of the recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO), to ensure that people suffering from Ebola do not enter Mozambique. “We have set up a national coordinating team”, he said. “Apart from state institutions, the team also involves NGOs”. Mbofana explained that all entry points to the country are being controlled, with particular stress on the airports. “We have health workers throughout the country guaranteeing that the people who enter Mozambique have not been in contact with those suffering from this disease”, he added.The Ministry, he said, did not have the slightest interest in hiding any case of Ebola. “We have instructed all provinces to be on the alert”, he declared.