The Angolan government has ordered the suspension of migratory movements at its northeastern border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) due to the recent outbreak of Ebola in the neighboring country, Angola's official news agency ANGOP reported on Tuesday.
Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem was quoted as saying that the closing of the border is aimed at preventing the spread of the disease into the Angolan territory through migratory movements and illegal prospecting of diamonds.
According to the health minister, the Angolan government has also popularized the knowledge and information on how to prevent the illness and adopted measures to reinforce the epidemiological surveillance with a view of early response.
The measures include a joint action between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce and the Migration and Foreigners Services.
The official said the preventive measures will be also extended to eastern Moxico province, northern Malanje and Uije provinces and northeastern Lunda-Sul province due to their proximity to the affected areas of DR Congo.
The Ebola virus was first reported in the DR Congo's southwestern province of Kassai, bordering Angola's northwestern Lunda-Norte province in late November last year.
According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), three cases of the disease were recorded in the DR Congo and at least 36 suspected cases were recorded, including 12 deaths feared to be related to the disease.
Laboratory tests are now taking place in the DR Congo, Gabon and South Africa.
To prevent the spread of the Ebola pandemic from the DR Congo, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Saturday appointed an ad-hoc commission coordinated by Angolan Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Kassoma.
Source: Xinhua
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