BEIRUT, October 20 (RIA Novosti) – Lebanon fears the high risk of the Ebola virus spreading in the country, Lebanese Public Health Minister Wael Abou Faour said at a press conference Monday.
Abou Faour was quoted as saying by the Lebanese NNA news agency that Lebanon was more likely to face Ebola cases than other countries due to the fact that a great number of Lebanese live in the Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa.
The minister noted that the country had already started taking precautionary measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus.
"A team has been fully equipped at the airport and at Rafik Hariri University Hospital to follow up on the medical files of those coming to Lebanon from infested countries," Abou Faour was cited by the agency.
He added that any suspected cases of Ebola would be transferred to Rafik Hariri Hospital immediately.
The current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February, and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Several cases of Ebola have been registered outside of West Africa. At the moment, there is no officially approved medication for the disease, however, Russia, alongside the United Kingdom, the US, Japan and Canada, is currently working on a vaccine.
According to the October 17 World Health Organization data, more than 4,500 people have died from the disease, with more than 9,200 confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola cases.
