McClatchy blog: Somewhere in Africa

April 29, 2009

All together now: 'God help us'

Tyler Bridges and our McClatchy colleagues have a roundup of how countries around the world are reacting -- and overreacting -- to the swine flu outbreak. Cuba banned flights to and from Mexico, and Russia has stopped imports of all raw meat from Mexico, California, Texas and Kansas, even though health officials say there's no link between eating any kind of meat and being infected with swine flu..

In East Africa, where even basic diseases like cholera can sometimes befuddle governments, countries appear to be reverting to type.

A government that doesn't even control its capital city -- let alone its long coastline -- is throwing up its hands. Another government that likes nothing more than controlling its citizens seems to be going overboard.

The United Nations' IRIN news service has the details:

Here is how some East African countries are responding so far:

SOMALIA: No capacity to deal with such pandemics due to the prolonged civil war and destruction of medical facilities. "We are not prepared for anything like the swine flu; we don't have the means to deal with it," Awad Abdi, adviser to the Somali Health Ministry said. "God help us if it reaches here."...

RWANDA: Mobile clinics set up for screening visitors at airports and other entry points; pork imports from European countries suspended; sale of grilled pork in cafes prohibited; epidemiologists deployed to work on preparedness in main health facilities and information points set up in 143 centres. However, according to WHO, there is no risk of infection from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

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