The government of Equatorial Guinea has spent more than US$13 million (600 million CFAs) in recent weeks to fight the Ebola virus, according to the Ministry of Health. The government has taken a number of preventive measures after it formed a national commission to lead anti-Ebola efforts.
Equatorial Guinea has taken a proactive approach to the Ebola threat as it continues to affect neighboring regions. It has purchased special ambulances, ambulatory hospitals (tents) and thermographic cameras for airports (which will be used to detect whether an arrival has had a fever in the prior 72 hours), trained health personnel assigned to these health units, and purchased drugs for palliative treatment and laser thermometers for all the borders, among other initiatives.
Equatorial Guinea has also received aid from the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently donated protective equipment for prevention of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The Ministry received suits, waterproof boots, gloves, masks, goggles, aprons and miscellaneous disposable material, among others to add the government’s current resources.
As part of he government of Equatorial Guinea’s efforts to be prepared to fight the Ebola virus, it has temporarily cancelled regional flights to Cameroon, by its national air carrier, Ceiba International. The West African nation has also suspended the issuance of visas from neighboring countries and cancelled flights to Cotonou (Benin); Accra (Ghana); Lome (Togo); Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Dakar (Senegal) last month.