Zimbabwe screens visitors for Ebola
Kenyan health officials take passengers' temperature as they arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on August 14, 2014. AFP PHOTO | SIMON MAINA
What you need to know:
- Ebola has killed 1,145 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone since the first case was reported in March.
- President Robert Mugabe early this month said Zimbabwe was contemplating withdrawing its peacekeepers from Liberia.
HARARE
Zimbabwe has started screening visitors from Ebola-hit West African countries at its points of entry to curb a possible spread of the deadly disease.
Ebola has so far killed 1,145 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
There are no reported cases of the disease in southern Africa so far, but a couple of people have been tested in South Africa after exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms.
Dr Portia Manangazira, the director of epidemiology in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, said no cases of Ebola had been detected in Zimbabwe, but the country was on high alert.
SPECIAL TRAINING
“We are setting health ports at the border posts and I am on my way to Beitbridge, where we are going to conduct a special training for health personnel so that they are able to monitor all those coming into the country through Beitbridge border post,” Dr Manangazira told State media on Thursday.
Mr Beitbridge is said to be the biggest inland port of entry in Africa and it links Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The border is known to be porous and is used by African immigrants from war-torn countries to sneak into South Africa.
President Robert Mugabe early this month said Zimbabwe was contemplating withdrawing its peacekeepers from Liberia, fearing they would contract the virus.
