MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - The Islamic Republic of Mauritania announced Saturday that it is tightening control at its border with Mali to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.
"Instructions were issued to toughen measures taken in fighting the [Ebola] epidemic following the reported case in the neighboring country of Mali; the new [border control] regulations have already been implemented," Health Minister Ahmedou Ould Jelvoune was quoted as saying by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
According to the minister, a medical and administrative team was deployed to the Mali border.
The decision of the Mauritanian authorities came after reports that the two-year old girl confirmed to have contracted the virus in Mali died on Friday.
The latest World Health Organization (WHO) case count, released Saturday, indicated that a total of 10,141 confirmed, probable and suspected cases have been reported so far. The Ebola virus has caused 4,922 deaths, with the hardest hit countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea accounting for 4,912 of the deaths.
Nigeria and Senegal were declared by the WHO free of Ebola on October 20, following a grace period of 42 days with no new cases reported.
