Ebola: Zimbabwe to 'strictly' monitor visitors

Cape Town – The Zimbabwean government has reportedly started setting up health ports to strictly monitor visitors coming into the country, following concerns that the deadly Ebola virus might spread beyond West Africa.

According to The Herald, Zimbabwe's health ministry said no Ebola cases had been detected in the country, but there was a need to monitor visitors coming into Zimbabwe.

Travellers would be required to pass through the health ports for assessment before their passports are stamped.

The visitors' passports would also be inspected to see whether the holder had recently been to a country affected by Ebola.

This comes as AP reported on Thursday that the World Health Organisation had raised the total death toll to 1 350, saying the deaths were mounting fastest in Liberia, which accounts for at least 576 fatalities.

The disease is spread through contact with body fluids of those infected – dead or alive. The highly-contagious virus can kill up to 90% of its victims, according to reports.

There is no known vaccine and the few forms of treatment that exist are experimental.