Ebola Outbreak - Security cordon created around affected states

As the Ebola virus outbreak rages on in West Africa, leaders of four countries met over the weekend to proffer emergency measures to combat the unprecedented epidemic. The Presidents of Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire met on August 1, 2014, in the Guinean capital, Conakry, to agree on an emergency plan, agency reports.

In a drastic decision, movements in and out of the four countries will be strictly monitored by a security cordon created to stop further spread.

Meanwhile, the affected countries, together with the World Health Organisation, WHO, have also launched a 100 million US-Dollar (about FCFA 49 billion) fund to tackle the epidemic. WHO chief, Margaret Chan, who attended the meeting, warned that the outbreak was getting out of control: "This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives, but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries," she said.

All over the world, reactions to the outbreak have been prompt and drastic. Seychelles over the weekend forfeited an African Cup qualifying game and withdrew from the competition on July 31, 2014, rather than allow Sierra Leone's soccer team to travel to the Indian Ocean Island. With 20,000 citizens living in West Africa, Lebanon is taking a series of measures to prevent the virus reaching its shores.

Health Minister, Wael Abu Faour, said the ministry "has directed all airlines, particularly those bringing people from Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry and Liberia, to inform Lebanese authorities about anyone displaying suspicious symptoms."

On the other hand, a military spokesman for the African Union mission in Somalia says the AU has cancelled a planned troop rotation by Sierra Leonean forces because of the Ebola outbreak. The Union decided to halt the deployment of a new battalion in an effort to prevent the disease from crossing into Somalia.

Sierra Leone is one of five nations that sends large numbers of troops to Somalia to protect the government and fight Al-Shabab militants.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Prophet T.B. Joshua yesterday, August 3, 2014, promised to help the countries affected by the outbreak to tackle it with prayers if invited by their leaders.

He made the promise in a live Sunday service in Lagos after meeting with government and international health officials who came to consult him on how to handle the deadliest ever Ebola epidemic to date.