The Ministry of Health and Sanitation and security personnel along the border chiefdoms in the Kenema District held a one-day Health Education Division Sensitization meeting for personnel in cross border districts on Avian Flu (Bird Flu).
The consultative meeting took place at the Kenema district council hall along Maxwell Khobe Street in Kenema city. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Manager of Health Education Division Sahr Hemon said the Education Division of the Ministry is meant to educate people about epidemic in various areas.
“The Ministry,” he disclosed, “is the forerunner in making sure that the epidemic is not spread in the locality.”
Hemon stated that they are calling on people to empower them to sensitize their people about disease. He appealed to participants to spread the messages to friends, neighbors and other people of what they are gaining from the meeting.
“Bird Flu has destroyed many farm animals, such as fowls in other parts of Africa,” said Deputy Health Coordinator Lansana Conteh, “and as such, the meeting was to discuss the ways of preventing the disease in the country.”
Conteh therefore called on police and military personnel at the borders to report any strange disease affecting the community, so that the ministry can intervene quickly.
The Kenema District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr. Yankuba Madina Bah, in his statement said the disease “is not one man’s business but the business of everybody,” noting that the disease can easily be transferred to human beings. He appealed to participants to disseminate the messages of what they were gaining from the meeting to the public.
Dr. Bah added that they were treating Lassa fever, which comes from rats, in the hospital and most of the patients were from Lower Bambara chiefdom in the Kenema district. He said they are now working with the bodies in minimizing rabies. The sensitization campaign, he said, is all over the World and as such, he pleaded with the coordinator to expand the meeting to somewhere else in the border region.
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