Ebola-hit countries ‘must screen all departing travellers’

Authorities in countries affected by the ebola virus should check people departing at international airports, seaports and major border crossings and stop anyone with signs of the virus from travelling, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.

The UN health agency reiterated that the risk of getting infected with ebola on an aircraft was small, as infected people are usually too ill to travel, and said that the risk was also very low to travellers in affected countries, namely Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

There was no need for wider travel or trade restrictions, the WHO said in a statement.