#Ebola: Cameroon confirms border closure, Gabon rules out closing border, Benin closes traditional mortuaries

by Obinwanne Mordi

Stories making the rounds that Cameroon has closed its borders with Nigeria and suspended all flights to and from Nigeria fearing the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) through international air, seaports and border land outposts, have been confirmed.

Speaking on the Hausa Service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Maiduguri, the spokesman of Cameroon’s Foreign Affairs Department, Chiroumma Boukkari, said the border boundary of over 2,000 kilometres from Borno, through Adamawa, Taraba and Cross Rivers states has been shut at all border crossings. Boukkari said the decision to close the borders with Nigeria has become inevitable, because of the fears of Ebola, which spreads like wild fire in the West African sub-region, would cross over to his country.

“This decision on border closure and suspension of all flights to and from Nigeria was to protect the lives of Cameroonian citizens living within and outside from contracting Ebola, as Nigeria, our main trading partner in Africa had been facing since July 20, 2014 when Patrick Sawyer sneaked into the country aboard a flight with the deadly virus,” Boukkari clarified.

He noted that the border closure and temporary suspension of flights to and from Nigeria will be for a minimum of one month, and advised Cameroonian citizens to take the closure of borders and flight suspension seriously for the sake of their lives and property.Ebola-scare-599x275

“The border closures with our main trading partner will be lifted, as soon as Nigeria contains the spread of the deadly viral disease. We also urge all border security agencies of the two countries to be vigilant by complying with this border closures made yesterday by the foreign office here in Ngaudore,” said Boukkari.

Gabon rules out closing border over Ebola

Gabon will not close its border over the threat of Ebola virus, but will remain vigilant, the country’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba has announced.

Speaking on Sunday at celebrations to mark the country’s 54th independence anniversary, Ondimba said, “We have prepared ourselves very well, in case an Ebola case will be confirmed in the country, we will respond quickly.”

“Obviously, we are not waiting for an Ebola case to be declared in Gabon. The government has put in place an effective surveillance system comprised of several ministries at all our border points. We are monitoring all visitors coming into our country,” Ondimba concluded.

Gabon has in the past been hit by Ebola, twice in 1970s and early in the year 2000. It was in Gabon that scientists discovered that the Ebola virus was carried by bats.

Benin closes traditional morgues

Meanwhile, the Beninese government has ordered the closure of all traditional morgues in the country in order to protect the population against several diseases, especially the Ebola Virus Disease, an official source in Cotonou yesterday.

The source said the illegal structures that operate under poor hygienic conditions could result into a number of contagious diseases.

Benin has had a long tradition of preserving dead bodies using palm wine or coal dust, and some of the methods can help preserve a dead body for almost a week. Majority of the Beninese rural population use traditional methods to preserve their bodies in the homes while morgues are only used in the urban centres before burial.

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