.Chikamata
By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Government has directed the Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC) in Ndola to broaden research and track new diseases affecting people without being aware of their existence.
Health Permanent Secretary Davy Chikamata said the TDRC must intensify its research mechanism so that diseases were not neglected and not only tracked when there was an outbreak.
Dr Chikamata said this in an interview on Friday after a TDRC Board meeting at Ndola Central Hospital.
He made the remarks in view of new cases of elephantiasis that had prompted the Government to embark on a countrywide drug administration exercise of citizens to prevent new cases.
The disease has been traced in 85 districts around the country.
“At the moment TDRC is only operating at a rate of 42 per cent. The mandate of TDRC is broader than this and there is room to expand research to arrest diseases such as elephantiasis,” he said.
Dr Chikamata said there was no outbreak of elephantiasis as the disease had been existent before but research on its prevalence had been minimal.
“Elephantiasis has now been traced in 85 districts of the country as we speak, hence our sister ministry (Community Development) is implementing the mass drug administration exercise to arrest the
disease,” he said.
TDRC director Modest Mulenga said the institution would harness its strategy to identify new health problems affecting the people.
“We have a critical role to play in the process of health policy formulation and using the available resources. We will endeavour to expand our research for effective policy formulation and implementation by the Government,” he said.
Dr Chikamata also said the Government was not idle to the risk that the Ebola virus posed.
He said screening of people leaving and coming into Zambia through the boarders and international airports had been intensified with the installation of static thermal detectors.
“Ebola is easily carried from one country to another and we are still vigilant in monitoring the situation to ensure the virus does not reach Zambia,” he said.
Dr Mulenga said Ebola was among the TDRC’s national response programme and scientists had been trained to respond to any outbreak of the virus.
