Georgia enforces strict Ebola virus preventative measures

Georgia is continuing to implement prevention measures to be sure that every person who enters the country from the Ebola virus high risk countries in Africa is healthy, says National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) representative Khatuna Zakhashvili.

To date 14 people had entered Georgia’s border from affected countries, most of them from Nigeria. The NCDC was "strictly monitoring their health condition" and will continue to do so for 21 days, the longest incubation period for the virus.

"Now we have no doubts that they are healthy. The risk is very low, in Nigeria there are only 13 registered cases of the Ebola virus for the population of 174 million. Besides, we have the strict rule to monitor everyone’s health who will enter Georgia from affected countries,” Zakhashvili told media.

About one hundred students from Africa study at Tbilisi Medical University and the beginnning of September was when summer vacations ended. According to the Medical University Admistration most of the African students (87) were from Nigeria. They will be allowed to join others at the University only after the incubation period ended.

A special isolation unit has been established and was ready for any cases at the Tbilisi Infectional Patology Centre, NCDC stated.

The Ebola virus, for which there is no vaccine and no cure, has claimed 1145 lives since the current outbreak began in February. More than 2,400 people were confirmed or suspected to have contracted the deadly disease.

Georgia’s NCDC and Public Health advised against travelling to West Africa due to the deadly Ebola outbreak, which is spreading faster than it can be contained across Western Africa.

In particular, the NCDC called on people not to travel to four countries - Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - that were currently at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak.