Taiwan is tightening border control in the wake of Ebola virus infections outside of Africa.
Cases of infection have been announced in the United States and Spain. The patient in Spain is the first person known to have contracted Ebola outside of Africa.
Speaking at the legislature on Wednesday, acting Health Minister Lin Tzou-yien said that in order to prevent an Ebola outbreak, the ministry has activated its border disease control measures.
“The highest principle is to block the Ebola virus at the border, so border disease control is very important," said Lin. "When arriving in Taiwan, in-flight announcements will tell passengers what they have to pay attention to. We also have fever-screening stations, and travelers are given a card written in Chinese, English, and French, which tells them where they should go if they show symptoms. Everything’s written down very clearly.”
The Ebola virus has claimed thousands of lives in West Africa. The hardest-hit countries are Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.