West African nations warned to be prepared for Ebola

West African nations neighbouring those hit by the Ebola epidemic — Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Guinea Bissau — should prepare for the possible arrival of people carrying the deadly virus, said the World Health Organisation.

“We want other countries in West Africa to be ready — bordering countries, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau — to prepare themselves in case people affected with the disease may be also travelling,” WHO medical officer Dr Pierre Formenty told a briefing in Geneva.

Despite efforts by national health authorities and international aid organisations to contain the spread of Ebola, the WHO has recorded some 635 infections, including 399 deaths, in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia since the outbreak began in February.