East Africa boosts anti-Ebola measures

KENYA and Ethiopia, home to some of Africa's largest transport hubs, said Thursday they had boosted measures to combat possible Ebola cases arriving in their countries.

Kenya's National Disaster Operation Centre said in a statement that "port health services are on standby, with enhanced screening at border points to prevent and contain any possible disease threat".

Meanwhile Ethiopia Airlines said it was taking "extraordinary precautions in connection with the outbreak of the disease".

Ethiopia's national carrier is a major airline connecting countries across Africa, as well as flying to the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

"Stringent and specific surveillance is being carried out regarding all flights from west Africa at Addis Ababa airport," the airline said in a statement.

In Uganda, which has suffered Ebola outbreaks in the past -- most recently in 2012 -- health ministry officials said they were "on alert", but added that reports of a case in the north of the country had been a false alarm.

Uganda, with its past experience of Ebola, had sent a medical team to west Africa to help, Health Minister Ruhakana Rugunda told reporters.

Tanzania's civil aviation authority also said it was going to step up precautionary measures against the disease.

Fears that the outbreak of the virus in west Africa could spread have grown in recent days.

More than 700 people have been killed since the first case was detected in February.

AFP