Sierra Leone's president has declared a public health emergency to
curb the deadly Ebola outbreak.Ernest Bai Koroma said the epicentres of the outbreak in the east would be quarantined and asked the security forces to enforce the measures.
The UN says more than 670 people in West Africa have died of Ebola since February - 224 of them in Sierra Leone.
This includes Dr Sheik Umar Khan who led Sierra Leone's fight against the virus. His funeral is on Thursday.
Airport screening As part of the new measures to contain the viral haemorrhagic fever, travellers at airports will have to wash their hands with disinfectant and have their temperatures checked, President Koroma said in a statement.
His measures follow tough anti-Ebola policies introduced this week in neighbouring Liberia, where schools have been closed and some communities are to be quarantined.
Both President Koroma and his Liberian counterpart Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have cancelled visits to Washington for the US-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia and Kenya are to begin screening all passengers arriving from West Africa.
In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said ground and on-board staff would have also been sensitised on how to handle suspected cases of the virus.
However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday that it was not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures after consulting the World Health Organization, according to Reuters.
Any risks would be low in the rare event of an Ebola sufferer travelling by air, it adds.
Earlier this week, two airlines - Asky, a regional carrier, and Nigeria's Arik Air - suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Source:BBC
No comments:
Post a Comment