by Linda Straker
- 7 October press release informed nation that PM Mitchell left Grenada for Rwanda
- Prime Minister did not arrive at forum because of unforeseen circumstances
- Marburg Virus Disease outbreak has so far infected 56 people and killed 12
Press Secretary Neila Ettienne has confirmed that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell is not among leaders attending the Biashara Afrika Forum in Kigali, because of an outbreak of the Marburg Virus Disease in Rwanda.
In his keynote address of the forum, Rwanda’s President Paul Kegame expressed appreciation to those who were in attendance. “It takes some amount of courage to proceed from wherever you were because of the virus that has been going around,” he said.
On Monday, 7 October a press release on Prime Minister Mitchell’s Facebook page informed the nation that he had left Grenada for Rwanda, and in his absence, Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall will be the Acting Prime Minister.
When contacted via WhatsApp message, Ettienne confirmed that the Prime Minister did not arrive at the forum because of “unforeseen circumstances.” When asked if his decision to not attend the forum was because of the virus as mentioned by President Kegame, the Press Secretary responded in the affirmative.
“Yes, his decision to not attend was based on the virus,” she responded without naming the port of disembarkation or embarkation he was located when the decision was made to cancel the trip.
As of Wednesday, 9 October, the Prime Minister and his entourage are officially not back in Grenada and it was not clear which territory or jurisdiction they were located awaiting a flight to return them to Grenada.
Rwanda, according to that country’s health ministry, is battling its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a deadly illness related to Ebola. The disease does not have any approved vaccines or treatments. It was first confirmed on 27 September and as of 6 October, the outbreak had infected 56 people and killed 12.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
Symptoms of Marburg virus generally appear between 3 to 21 days after close exposure to an infected person. The symptoms include severe headache, feeling weak, fever, watery diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bleeding from different sites including under the skin, feeling sick and being sick.
