Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.informante.web.na/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6372&Itemid=108
Chicken pox feared at Cadet base
Written by Linekela Halwoodi
Thursday, 27 May 2010
THE Rundu Cadet Training Wing is facing a potential contagious chicken pox outbreak after four officers were diagnosed with the disease last week.
Three of the four affected trainees, were isolated while the female patient was hospitalised and treated at a military hospital in Rundu.
The cadet wing which is supposed to hold 100 trainees currently has more than 240 cadets sharing five toilets, raising fears that the highly contagious disease which is dangerous in adult males, could spread quickly.
A close source said nine people share a barrack.
According to the source, although the outbreak was reported to the Wing Commander M. Soja, no health officials were called in.
?When you say you are sick they ask you to show them where you are sick even when it?s a woman involved. What is it that they want to see? We have never eaten bread ever since we came here. All we eat is pre-cooked porridge,? a trainee who spoke on condition of anonymity said this week.
But Defence Public Relations Officer, Major Petrus Shilumbu, confirmed four cases of chicken pox, three men and one woman saying they had since sought urgent remedies to rectify the problem.
?It is true that there were reported cases of chicken pox and four of our members were affected. We have advised the cadets to keep military hygiene so that the problem does not persist.
?We are also having problems of the toilets but we have since submitted different quotations to the Ministry for budget allocations.?
On allegations that the training is supposed to be for 18-35-year-olds, Shilumbu said the army base does not have restrictions on the age of applicants but is meant to accommodate former liberation commanders who did not get enough training during the war.
On the issue of non-commissioned officers who were being promoted to high ranks, Major Shilumbu said promotions were not a prerogative of the different army bases but were entirely up to the Ministry?s senior officials.
?The different bases can only recommend certain people to the army head office where the panel of senior army officers will make the decision to promote or demote the officers,? he said.
Chicken pox feared at Cadet base
Written by Linekela Halwoodi
Thursday, 27 May 2010
THE Rundu Cadet Training Wing is facing a potential contagious chicken pox outbreak after four officers were diagnosed with the disease last week.
Three of the four affected trainees, were isolated while the female patient was hospitalised and treated at a military hospital in Rundu.
The cadet wing which is supposed to hold 100 trainees currently has more than 240 cadets sharing five toilets, raising fears that the highly contagious disease which is dangerous in adult males, could spread quickly.
A close source said nine people share a barrack.
According to the source, although the outbreak was reported to the Wing Commander M. Soja, no health officials were called in.
?When you say you are sick they ask you to show them where you are sick even when it?s a woman involved. What is it that they want to see? We have never eaten bread ever since we came here. All we eat is pre-cooked porridge,? a trainee who spoke on condition of anonymity said this week.
But Defence Public Relations Officer, Major Petrus Shilumbu, confirmed four cases of chicken pox, three men and one woman saying they had since sought urgent remedies to rectify the problem.
?It is true that there were reported cases of chicken pox and four of our members were affected. We have advised the cadets to keep military hygiene so that the problem does not persist.
?We are also having problems of the toilets but we have since submitted different quotations to the Ministry for budget allocations.?
On allegations that the training is supposed to be for 18-35-year-olds, Shilumbu said the army base does not have restrictions on the age of applicants but is meant to accommodate former liberation commanders who did not get enough training during the war.
On the issue of non-commissioned officers who were being promoted to high ranks, Major Shilumbu said promotions were not a prerogative of the different army bases but were entirely up to the Ministry?s senior officials.
?The different bases can only recommend certain people to the army head office where the panel of senior army officers will make the decision to promote or demote the officers,? he said.