Friday 22 August 2014

Ebola Crisis: Senegal Defends Guinea Border Closure

Senegal has defended the closure of its border with Guinea because of
the Ebola outbreak.

The border closure came even as the World Health Organization (WHO)
had declared that travel bans do not work.

Senegal's Health Minister, Dr Eva Marie Colle Seck, said that the
travel ban would not affect humanitarian flights.

Senegal's capital, Dakar, is a regional hub for West Africa and many
doctors and medical supplies arriving from Europe or the US would pass
through there before going to the affected countries.

Dr Seck told the BBC that the countries surrounding those affected
were a sentinel for the world and had a duty to stop the virus
spreading further.

But WHO spokesman, Gregory Hartl, said that the borders in the region
were porous, so any ban would be"impossible to enforce".

However, Senegal also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone- the three worst-hit countries.

Senegal first closed its border with Guinea in March when the outbreak started.

It was reopened in May after the situation in Guinea seemed to have
stabilised but there has been a recent increase in the number of cases
in the country.

Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa have also imposed travel bans.

Ebola has no known cure but some affected people have recovered after
being given an experimental drug, Zmapp. However, supplies are now
exhausted.

On Thursday, two U.S. doctors were discharged from hospital after
being given the drug, while three Liberian medics are also recovering
well.

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