Zambia has intensified Ebola surveillance at border entry

Health authorities in Zambia announced on Wednesday that they have intensified surveillance at border entries across the country, in wake of increased Ebola cases in neighbouring Democratic of Republic of Congo (DRC).

Chitalu Chilufya, the Minister of Health declared that surveillance measures have been increased as a precautionary measure to avoid the deadly disease from spreading into the country.

He stressed that the Zambian government are concerned with the increasing cases of Ebola, as well as an outbreak of measles in some parts of the DRC. These developments have prompted the decision for the government to heighten surveillance, in order to ensure that the two diseases have no chance of spreading into Zambia. Especially into border towns.

He stressed that Zambia has not yet recorded Ebola cases, these measures are simply precautions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern that the spread of Ebola in the DRC has escalated in recent months, with more than 2,000 cases recorded.