Spain gets ready for possible arrival of Ebola haemorrhagic virus
Sunday, August 3, 2014 @ 2:09 PM
SPAIN is preparing itself as far as possible in case the deadly Ebola virus – currently sweeping three west African nations – reaches the country.
The Spanish-owned city-provinces of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast could be a point of entry for the disease, which so far has a survival rate of less than 10 per cent and his highly infectious, although not contagious.
Whilst no apparent risk or signs of the disease entering Spain have been detected as yet, these two enclaves of Spain are a known and regular entry point for sub-Saharan Africans attempting to enter Europe via the 'back door', either by jerry-built boat or by climbing the border fence after trekking across the continent for months, and not everyone who gets through is caught and sent back.
Madrid's Adolfo Suárez airport is also a major gateway for illegal immigration from African nations, meaning staff have been placed on their guard and given training to enable them to cope if a potentially affected passenger is seen.
A full procedure has been set up to deal with any likely spread of the disease to Spain, with red folders containing full documentation having been sent to health authorities in each of the country's 17 regions, as well as Ceuta and Melilla.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com