No cases of Ebola have been reported in the country and the ministry of health has taken prudent measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease. “But we cannot be sure that the disease is not a threat at all,” said Dr. Siamak More-Sedegh, a member of the Majlis health and treatment committee.
During the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the government and health ministry of Saudi Arabia took all precautions to reduce chances of the virus infection among pilgrims by banning visas for pilgrims from Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, where the Ebola virus is taking a toll.
“But even if we consider the measures taken during hajj, still there are risks of the disease as people travel worldwide for business or leisure and interact with other nationalities,” he said, reported ISNA.
However, Iran is considered among “the very low risk” countries. The number of foreign visitors from African nations is not high; on the other hand, the area where the disease is prevalent is far from our country,” he noted.
The health ministry has taken stringent measures to prevent the entry of the virus in the country. The issuance of entry visas to travelers from Ebola-affected regions and also countries which share a border with the affected nations “will take place after a thorough health assessment of the travelers and other preventive measures”,he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zali, president of Iran Medical Council also said there are no traces of Ebola in the country. Zali who was attending the memorial service held for the late Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, said the country is prepared to deal with any cases of Ebola or any other diseases, ILNA reported. He added that Iran has one of the best health care systems in the Middle East and is capable of dealing with any virus.
Updates
At present, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Senegal in West Africa have the most cases of Ebola.
Outbreaks in other parts of West Africa have demonstrated how fear and anxiety, fuelled by misinformation and disinformation, if left unchecked, can be a major barrier to even the best-orchestrated containment efforts.
Both Senegal and Nigeria, two countries now declared free of Ebola virus transmission, used effective community information and education initiatives, often conducted as house-to-house campaigns, as an integral component of the outbreak response.
