98 suspected Ebola cases in Harare

At least 98 people have reportedly been placed under Ebola quarantine in Harare, as Zimbabwe takes steps to strictly monitor visitors coming into the country.

This comes as fears continue to grow that the deadly Ebola virus might spread beyond West Africa where the epidemic has killed 2 800 people. According to NewsDay, out of the 98 people who have been quarantined, 84 were coming from Nigeria.

The Herald reported early this month that a SADC summit recommended that people entering any SADC country from an affected country would be subjected to screening and will not leave a country for the next 21 days while under monitoring. This was in accordance with the World Health Organisation guidelines.

"If one is coming from West Africa, they are screened first at the ports of entry and if they do not have any signs and symptoms, we do not put them under quarantine, but we put them under surveillance for 21 days," News Day quoted Harare City Council health director Prosper Chonzi as saying.

The Ebola virus is spread through contact with body fluids of those infected – dead or alive. The highly-contagious virus can kill up to 90% of its victims, according to reports.

There is no known vaccine and the few forms of treatment that exist are experimental.