Ethiopia on high alert following Ebola outbreak in DRC

Addis Ababa : The Ethiopian government said on Saturday that it is on high alert to counter the Ebola virus disease following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, inspections are being carried out in major international airports as well as border areas to prevent the deadly virus from entering the country, reports Xinhua.

The ministry said clinics and hospitals across the East African country have been provided with necessary equipment to treat suspected Ebola cases, and training is being provided to strengthen response capabilities.

A new Ebola outbreak was declared on Tuesday by the DRC government, after two samples tested positive in Bikoro, Equateur Province.

The African Union (AU) has announced that the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has activated an emergency operation to support the DRC's fight with the new Ebola outbreak.

The Africa CDC has mobilized its epidemic response team (ERT) for imminent deployment. The team includes experts with previous experience in responding to Ebola outbreaks in West Africa in 2014 and in the DRC in 2017, the AU said in a statement.

Ethiopia had previously sent a medical team, comprising close to 200 health workers, to West African to bolster the Ebola disease response in 2014.