Senegal has become the latest African country to restrict travel as a result of the Ebola outbreak, closing its borders to neighboring Guinea. "This measure also applies to air and maritime borders, to planes and ships coming from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia," dpa quoted Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo as saying. Security and defense forces will ensure "rigorously" that the order is implemented, the minister added. Numerous African countries have restricted air, land and water travel in the region, causing a significant impact on the economy and on food security, according to the World Food Programme. Senegal's decision comes shortly after South Africa cabinet issued a travel ban for non-citizens arriving from Ebola-hit countries. South Africans coming from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone or Nigeria are to be questioned and medically examined if necessary, said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. Some 1,350 people have died from Ebola in West Africa so far, according the World Health Organization (WHO), and 2,473 suspected or confirmed cases have been reported in the region. Ebola causes massive hemorrhaging and has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. It is transmitted through contact with blood and other body fluids.
