Ethiopia Reinforces Ebola Prevention Effort

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian government has strengthened its Ebola virus prevention efforts with the deployment of hundreds of medical doctors and experts at the international airport and border entry points.

The move came after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Congo’s Ebola outbreak an international health emergency fortnights ago.

The government has strengthened its preventive measures against the deadly virus, said Dr. Beyene Moges, deputy director of the Ethiopian Public health institute (EPHI).

And the public should also be vigilant and knowledgeable about the virus, he added.

Ethiopian Airlines has a daily flight to Congolese city of Goma and other cities of DR Congo for at least 25 times per week.

Officials have already put in place preventive measures at several entry points and started to screen passengers at the airports and border checkpoints.

Beyene said at least 290 medical doctors and related professionals are now deployed at various international airports as part of the Ebola preparedness and response task force.

The task force is conducting screening on people entering from neighboring countries.

The latest outbreak – the second-largest ever – started in August 2018 and is affecting two provinces in DR Congo, North Kivu, and Ituri.

More than 2,500 people have been infected and two-thirds of them have died.

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by Sisay Sahlu