Zimbabwe warns citizens against visiting Nigerian 'prophets'
What you need to know:
- Health minister says that in the past week 50 Zimbabweans had travelled to Nigeria for prayer sessions.
- This week Zimbabwe said it had started screening visitors from Ebola hit west African countries.
HARARE
Zimbabwe has warned its citizens against visiting "prophets" in Nigeria, saying they risk contracting the deadly Ebola virus.
Nigeria, together with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, has been hit by the outbreak that began in March.
Zimabwe’s Health and Child Care minister David Parirenyatwa said he was worried about the high number of people flocking to Nigeria to visit "prophets".
“We are closely monitoring everyone from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia,” he said.
“Anyone from those countries will be monitored daily for 21 days for any symptoms.”
'HUGE NUMBER'
The minister said that in the past week 50 Zimbabweans had travelled to Nigeria for prayer sessions.
“That’s a huge number. We appeal to Zimbabweans to immediately stop visiting those countries, unless it’s for an urgent issue,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.
He said Zimbabwe and the region remained at low risk of an Ebola outbreak but had to remain vigilant.
“Zimbabwe and southern Africa as a whole is at low risk of Ebola but we are on the lookout for it,” he said.
This week Zimbabwe said it had started screening visitors from Ebola hit west African countries at its points of entry to curb a possible outbreak of the disease.
Ebola has killed 1,145 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone since the first case was reported in March.
There are no reported cases of the disease in southern Africa so far.
President Robert Mugabe early this month said Zimbabwe was contemplating withdrawing its peacekeepers from Liberia, fearing they would contract the virus.
