Colombo, Aug 13 (IANS): Sri Lankan migrant workers in West Africa have been urged to return by the government, an official said Wednesday, as the dreaded Ebola virus disease continues to generate international alarm.
An estimated 200 Sri Lankans are working as migrant workers in the region vulnerable to Ebola, Xinhua reported citing the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).
"There are Sri Lankans who are working in West Africa but are not registered with us. Therefore we ask their family members to convey the health risk and encourage them to return," SLBFE spokesman M. Randeniya told reporters.
Sri Lankan officials have also decided to screen all in-bound passengers at the country's international airport for possible Ebola contamination.
However, risks are seen as low because Sri Lanka attracts few tourists from West Africa.
Ebola has no proven cure and there is no vaccine to prevent infection, so treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, all of which can contribute to severe dehydration.
The current outbreak is the most severe in the almost 40 years since Ebola was identified in humans.
The World Health Organisation Tuesday put the toll at 1,013.