You are here
Neighboring countries shore up anti-Ebola defenses
Tue, 2014-10-21 20:29 — mike kraftDEUTSCHE WELLE Oct. 21, 1914
By Philipp Sandner and Ibrahima Bah
West African countries that have escaped the Ebola outbreak intend to stay free of it by preparing for the worst. It is a strategy that can work as events in Senegal and Nigeria have shown.
Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau are countries that border on the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic that encompasses Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. All these nations wish to protect themselves.
A health worker takes the temperature of man entering Mali from Guinea
One of the more obvious measures is to screen people entering the country. "We are using thermal imaging cameras to detect people at airports and borders who are running a temperature," said Malian physician Adamas Daou. He works at Mali's National Action Center for the fight against Ebola. Medical personnel are also on duty urging Malians to practice good personal hygiene. "This includes washing their hands in chlorinated water" Daou said.
Thermal imaging cameras have also been deployed in Senegal. "This is because fever is one of the first symptoms of Ebola," said Mamadou Ndiaye, Director of Prevention at the Senegalese Ministry of Health.
Read full story
Recent Comments