Amman: Jordan announced a temporary ban on the entry of travelers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda following the spread of the Ebola virus in both countries.
According to a statement by the Jordanian Ministry of Interior, Jordanian citizens are exempted from the ban, which will take effect on Wednesday and last for 30 days.
The statement added that the situation will be closely monitored in line with global health updates.
The World Health Organization on Tuesday voiced “deep concern” over the scale and speed of the Ebola outbreak sweeping the DRC, which has caused 136 deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that more than 130 deaths are thought to be linked to the outbreak, with more than 500 suspected cases.
Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals (such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates) and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.
The average Ebola disease case fatality rate is around 50 per cent. Case fatality rates have varied from 25–90 per cent in past outbreaks.
The first Ebola disease outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests. The 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. There were more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. It also spread between countries, starting in Guinea then moving across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The symptoms of Ebola disease can be sudden and include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain rash, and symptoms of impaired kidney and liver functions. It is important for health and care workers to be on the lookout for these symptoms.
(IANS)
