Ebola outbreak forces Liberia to shut borders
The Liberian government has closed most of the West African
nation's border crossings and introduced stringent health measures to curb the
spread of the deadly Ebola virus that has killed at least 660 people across the
region, reports Aljazeera.
The new measures, announced by the government on Sunday,
came as Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to contain
the worst outbreak yet of the virus.
Speaking at a task force meeting, Liberia President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf said the government was doing everything to fight the virus, including
inspecting and testing all outgoing and incoming airline passengers.
"All borders of Liberia will be closed with the
exception of major entry points. At these entry points, preventive and testing centres will be established, and
stringent preventive measures to be announced will be scrupulously adhered
to," she said.
Ebola can kill up to 90 percent of those who catch it,
although the fatality rate of the current outbreak is around 60 percent. The outbreak has placed a great
strain on the health systems of some of Africa 's
poorest countries.
Highly contagious, especially in the late stages, its
symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea as well as internal and external
bleeding.
Under the new measures, public gatherings such as marches and
demonstrations will also be restricted.
"No doubt, the Ebola virus is a national health
problem. And as we have also begun to see, it attacks our way of life, with
serious economic and social consequences," Sirleaf said in a statement.
But despite efforts to fight it, the virus continues to
spread. Samuel Brisbane, a senior Liberian doctor, who was also treating
infected patients, has died after contracting the virus, authorities said on
Sunday.
In Nigeria 's
commercial capital Lagos ,
a Liberian man who tested positive died on Friday.
A 33-year-old American doctor working for the relief
organisation Samaritan's Purse in Liberia tested positive for the
disease on Saturday.
The charity said on Sunday that a second American, who was
helping a team
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