Ebola: Madagascar steps up checks on travellers from Kenya
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Lexpress
Madagascar is stepping up health surveillance for travellers arriving from Kenya, where Ebola cases have been detected, according to a source at the Ministry of Public Health. Direct flights between the two countries operate five times a week, and the ministry has reinforced its staff at Ivato airport, Lexpress reports.
Madagascar has strengthened health surveillance at Ivato International Airport for passengers arriving from Nairobi, as Ebola cases have been detected in Kenya. Travellers must fill in a health form and are monitored by reinforced teams, a source at Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health told L’Express on Saturday.
Direct flights between Kenya and Madagascar operate five times a week and carry 500 to 600 passengers each week. Unlike travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, those coming from Kenya are not placed in 21-day quarantine: the authorities say they do not have the necessary facilities. Teams contact them regularly to monitor their health, according to the same source.
Madagascar had no Ebola cases at the time of the ministry’s statements. A suspected case involving a passenger had been reported, but the suspicion was ruled out, L’Express reports.
These measures come amid heightened health vigilance in Madagascar, where four cases of plague were confirmed on 14 October, according to an earlier health report.
