First Corona Virus Suspect In Rusape

By Shingirai Vambe

Rusape- Makoni District referral hospital has received its first suspect of the coronavirus case which has killed over a thousand in the Eastern Asian country of China.

A Male suspect aged 56 from Mabvazuva suburb, in Rusape is said to have traveled from Ghana via Kenya, Zambia then Zimbabwe and shared a seat with a Zambian National who was coming from China.

The District Medical Officer (DMO) for Makoni, Tendai Lincoln Nyafesa told Post On Sunday that they have quarantined him and are monitoring him for the next 14-21 days.

“We got to know about this patient after he went to 24hr Medical Centre with a history of running nose, headache, and chest pains but had no fever and we marked him as a suspect because of those like symptoms which are being talked about the virus”.

“The male adult narrated his journey from Ghana to the doctors, that after arriving at Robert Mugabe Airport he was picked by his brother who left him in town to get transport to Rusape where he stays with his grandson and maid.

The two are also being monitored and they have been educated on infection prevention measures,” Nyafesa said.

The world is currently on watch for this virus having some countries setting travel bans for people travelling from and to China, and the minister of health, Obadiah Moyo assured the nation that the Government is more than prepared to deal with related coronavirus cases.

“We are ready and the country is well equipped to deal with the monitoring and controlling of infections at all ports of entry including all border posts and airports, having thermo-detect fevers, a major symptom of the virus,” Moyo said during a cabinet briefing.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), states coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

With more than 1,700 recorded deaths, the number of fatalities from this new coronavirus has surpassed the toll of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreaks, which also originated in China.