Bahrain is stepping up measures to stop an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

A delegation of World Health Organisation (WHO) experts is coming to Bahrain to be updated on preventive measures and help draw up an Ebola contingency plan, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Health Minister Sadiq Al Shehabi stressed the importance of seeking the help of foreign experts to combat the deadly virus which is ravaging several African countries and sending shockwaves of fear across the world.

He said the Health Ministry had provided intensive training to its staff, in line with the Cabinet's resolution in this regard.

He explained that the WHO team's visit aims to discuss ministry's plans and measures to deal with the disease. The experts will meet medical staff concerned with Ebola.

Al Shehabi said the Health Ministry had issued guidelines on ways to diagnose and deal with Ebola patients, noting that the kingdom has stopped issuing visas to people from countries hit by the disease.

He affirmed the ministry's readiness to deal with any potential cases as per the WHO protocol, pointing out that Bahrain is, so far, free of Ebola.

More than 10,000 people have been infected with Ebola worldwide and nearly half of them have died, according to WHO estimates.

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the largest ever outbreak of the disease with a rapidly rising death toll in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

There have also been cases in Spain and the US. - TradeArabia News Service