Ahead of the coming African/American Leaders Summit billed for Monday in Washington DC, United States, President Barack Obama, has said some African participants attending will be screened for exposure to the dreaded Ebola virus.
President Goodluck Jonathan along with his aides is among the African leaders expected to attend the event.
According to a Reuters report, Obama explained on Friday that the action would be taken to protect the US from the outbreak of the disease.
He said, “Folks who are from these countries that have even a marginal risk, or an infinitesimal risk of having been exposed in some fashion, we’re making sure we’re doing screening.”
The United States, Obama said, takes risks from the deadly Ebola virus very seriously hence the planned test for the expected African leaders.
Also, two African leaders have said that they would not attend the meeting because of the outbreak of the Ebola disease in their countries. The leaders are the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Ernest BaiKoroma, respectively.
Meanwhile, professional health bodies and medical experts have condemned Nigeria’s response to the global outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease. They strongly condemned what they described as poor preventive measures put in place by the Federal Government.
Nigeria has recorded the death of an Ebola victim, Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, who flew into the country on July 20.
The deceased collapsed on his arrival in Lagos and was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with EVD. He later died on July 25.
Ebola, which has killed scores in Guinea, Gambia and Sierra Leone and Liberia, is an acute viral illness and often characterised by fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
These are followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.