Lebanon to Monitor Travelers Coming from Africa over Ebola Fears

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour warned on Monday that Lebanon could be exposed to Ebola because Lebanese expatriates are present in countries where the virus is spread but promised measures to prevent infection cases in the country.

Abou Faour denied that the virus was present in Lebanon and said his ministry was cooperating with the foreign ministry to take extraordinary measures at Lebanese embassies in the African states where the virus is spread.

“We will receive the necessary information (from the embassies) to take the extraordinary measures,” he told a press conference.

Abou Faour also announced that a specialized team at Rafik Hariri International Airport and Rafik Hariri University Hospital was formed to follow up the case of travelers arriving in Lebanon from the countries affected by the virus.

“Any suspicious case would be transported by ambulance to Rafik Hariri University Hospital,” he said.

Abou Faour also told reporters that he asked the public works and transport ministry to monitor Lebanon’s ports.

The Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has killed more than 4,500 people out of the 9,000 infected and the World Health Organization has warned that West Africa could soon face up to 10,000 new cases a week.

Ebola isn't contagious until symptoms appear. Ebola isn't spread through the air like the flu; people catch it by direct contact with a sick person's bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit.