Jerusalem – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special meeting on Sunday morning to discuss the spread of the Ebola virus, which has killed more than 4,000 people worldwide.
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Isolated incidents of the disease spreading out of Africa to the United States and Spain have sparked concerns that the disease could potentially spread to Israel.
Following Sunday’s discussion of Israel’s preparedness to deal with the epidemic, it was decided to focus efforts on monitoring travelers arriving in Israel from the most heavily-affected areas – Liberia , Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Health, Transportation, Interior, Foreign and Justice Ministries, as well as from the Israel Airports Authority, Israel Police and the IDF.Netanyahu said following the meeting that “Israel is prepared to stop, as much as is possible, the entry of Ebola patients into our borders, as part of our general efforts to defend our borders from illegal infiltrators and terror.
“He said that Ebola is “an international epidemic and we are cooperating with other countries. In addition to protecting our borders, we are taking a number of steps to isolate patients, if they arrive, and of course to treat them in our healthcare system.
“The prime minister said that Israel’s hope is that there will not be a need for the precautionary measures, but that the government was prepared for all possibilities.Ben Gurion Airport director Shmuel Zacai said that airport personnel were “beginning a very wide deployment at all border crossings which is aimed at locating and preventing the entry of travelers infected with Ebola.
“Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Arnon Afek said that the healthcare establishment “is following what is happening with the Ebola virus and is in contact with experts all over the world. We are improving the healthcare system’s preparedness in order to provide an answer for every Ebola patient should they arrive in Israel.”