FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT
5TH JUNE, 2026
NAKONDE, MUCHINGA PROVINCE – Government remains fully committed to protecting the health and safety of all its citizens. It is for this reason that, as Permanent Secretary of Muchinga Province, I have supervised our provincial Ebola preparedness and response efforts at the Nakonde Border Post.
Muchinga Province remains on high alert following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of an Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda on 17th May 2026. While the two suspected cases of Ebola in Zambia have tested negative, the Zambian Government considers the risk of cross-border transmission to be high.
Muchinga is one of the priority provinces for Ebola response, alongside Copperbelt, Luapula, Northern, North-Western, and Central provinces.
We want to reiterate that Government, through the Ministry of Health and the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI), has issued official response messages and directives. Of key importance of border screening.
As part of the response to the Ebola threat, Government, through the Ministry of Health in Muchinga is advocating for enhanced screening measures. These include thermal screening and the use of a health questionnaire, which have been strengthened at the point of entry at the Tunduma-Nakonde One Boarder Post.
I wish to advise citizens in Muchinga Province to take the following precautions:
1. Maintain strict hygiene, including frequent handwashing with soap or use of hand sanitizer.
2. Avoid contact with body fluids or secretions from individuals presenting with unexplained illness or fever.
3. Immediately report any person experiencing sudden fevers, unexplained bleeding, severe weakness, vomiting, or diarrhea to the nearest health facility.
We urge the immigration team to enhance patrols, as the porous nature of our border can sometimes complicate our screening and surveillance responses.
Muchinga province will not let its guard down. We realize that we are important to the public health security of this country because we serve as a busy international trade route. We remain on high alert to ensure that the disease remains outside Zambia’s borders.
Issued by:
(Original Copy Signed)
Dr. Tuesday Bwalya
Permanent Secretary
MUCHINGA PROVINCE
