THE government move to deploy medical teams at the entry points of the country will no doubt help reduce the fear about the Ebola virus in the public mind. We commend the belated decision taken by the Health Ministry, though three days have already passed since the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced an ‘international public health emergency’ following the deadly outbreak of Ebola in Africa. We earlier commented on the Ebola related dangers and its consequential effects in Bangladesh. It is now satisfying that the government has at last responded to the situation which has emerged.
Ebola took a toll of nearly 1,000 people and infected over 1,779 people till last Sunday. According to the WHO Director General, the outbreak is getting out of control very quickly. But even at the last moment, the government, particularly some experts were in a mood of ‘who cares’ while many health conscious Asian nations adopted prevention policies to safeguard their citizens from Ebola much earlier.
Hong Kong has already put into place quarantine measures for anyone returning from Africa showing symptoms including fever and vomiting. Though there is no direct flight from West Africa to Hong Kong, it expressed concern that infections could still enter the region via a plane flight. At South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, quarantine inspections of arriving passengers are being enhanced. All passengers are being recorded there by an infrared camera to detect fevers. Australia is cautioning against travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Singapore and Bangkok have also taken safety measures. British Airways and Emirates have responded to the ongoing outbreak by grounding flights to West African disease hot spots in an effort to protect its staff and passengers.
As the whole world seems so serious about the potential danger of Ebola, we are therefore, a little bit appalled with the inadequate preparation taken by the government and the health functionaries concerned. No distinctive step is seen yet to screen the people coming into the country to detect the deadly Ebola virus. Our international gateways are still so liberally open that they look like ready to welcome the deadly Ebola. We have become almost habituated with the tall talks of the ruling high-ups about public health measures but their deliberate silence about Ebola is shocking us most. When a health expert of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) considers Bangladesh “a low-risk” country, we are assured, but anxious about our fellow citizens living in the Ebola affected countries in Africa. We are concerned about our people including a large number of our soldiers who are in the UN Peace Keeping Missions in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
However, none can say for certain that Bangladesh is completely free from the danger of Ebola. Therefore, it is imperative for the government, especially the port authorities, to take necessary measures immediately. We hope that the decision of setting Ebola check post at ports will be an operative one and not a paper entity for public consumption only. The Armed Forces Division and Police Department should be more alert as most of the members in UN Peace Mission in Africa belong to those forces. We ask the government to form a special taskforce for coordinating concerned bodies including Health, Civil Aviation, Foreign and Defence Ministries to keep the country free from Ebola.
