Algeria on Wednesday decided to freeze business dealings with African countries hit by deadly Ebola virus, local media reported.
The local Echorouk newspaper quoted senior official of the Ministry of Health Samia Hammadi as saying "the government decided to freeze trading with countries hit by Ebola virus, as a preventive step against the spread of this deadly virus in Algeria. "
She added that the actions taken in potential sites which can be breeding grounds for the entry of Ebola to Algeria, including various land border crossings, airports and ports.
The doctor specified that such actions are capable of preventing the spread of this virus, adding that the monitoring and early detection plans were activated at the level of all hospitals. She noted that quarantine and follow-up units were deployed on all over the nation, including near the land border crossings.
The Algerian police has taken preventive measures to counter the threat of Ebola, as police officers working in ports, airports and land borders were provided with thermal imaging cameras and other special equipment.
Minister of Health Abdelmalek Boudiaf denied two weeks ago the detection of Ebola cases in the country. He said "no cases of Ebola were recorded in Tamenrasset province, 2,000 km south of Algiers, or in any other region nationwide, as reported by some local media."
Recently, the World Health Organization warned that Algeria is among the North African nations that are threatened by the spread of Ebola virus, following some cases recorded in neighboring Mali and Mauritania, local media reported.
Earlier in August, the Algerian health authorities said a wide- scale preventive measures have been taken on the southern border of the country to counter the spread of deadly Ebola virus. Those measures include mobilizing medical staff in border areas.
These medical teams consist of four doctors tasked with the mission of providing health care coverage in the border areas. The authorities have also established sanitary control post at the airport of Tamanrasset.
The North African nation has detected no case of Ebola so far, specified the source, adding that the prevention operation also includes raising awareness of local residents in border areas and travelers to African countries on the risks of this contagious disease.
Some 4,400 people have been killed by Ebola virus in West Africa, according to media reports. The Ebola virus, which is transmitted between humans through bodily fluids, hit Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and has spread to other neighboring countries.