国际英语新闻:Guinea reinforces health control measures at capital airport

CONAKRY, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Guinean authorities have reinforced health control measures at the Conakry international airport, Health Minister Aliou Barry said on Thursday.

Speaking during a meeting with heads of airlines and representatives of the World Health Organization as well as Doctors Without Borders, Barry said his ministry has placed treated water for washing hands both at the entry and exit points of the airport.

Passengers will be expected to fill in special forms to ascertain their health status before having their body temperatures taken.

At the airport, health authorities have installed two isolation zones to handle suspected Ebola patients.

Barry said the control measures had led to 47 passengers being denied permission to board aircrafts between June and July due to high temperatures, while during the same period, nine airlines continued having regular flights to Conakry airport.

However, despite the measures put in place, Emirates Airlines, Sky Airlines, Air Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal Airlines suspended their flights to Conakry.

While urging Guinea's development partners to demonstrate concrete gestures of solidarity, the minister affirmed that health control measures will be spread to other areas of the transport sector, beyond the airport.

Guinea is one of the worst Ebola-hit countries in West Africa where the outbreak of the epidemic has claimed over 1,300 people since earlier this year.