ABIDJAN
The Ivory Coast decided on Tuesday to open humanitarian corridors to neighboring states Guinea and Sierra Leone, both of which have been hard hit by the deadly Ebola virus – even as the country continued to keep its borders with the two states closed.
"We decided to open humanitarian, economic and medical corridors with Guinea and Sierra Leone in light of our commitment to World Health Organization recommendations," Ivory Coast's National Security Council, which is headed by President Alassane Ouattara, said in a statement.
The statement, which was broadcast on state television, did not give a date for when the decision would be implemented. But it said that the council planned to pursue a policy of "shared assistance" with Ebola-hit countries.
Authorities in Ivory Coast closed the country's borders with both Sierra Leone and Guinea on August 23 as a preventative measure against Ebola, according to a statement issued by Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan.
So far, Ivory Coast has not reported any cases of Ebola infection. Nevertheless, the government continues to pursue an aggressive public-awareness campaign while adopting preventive and safety measures.
In recent months, Ebola – a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure – has claimed 1,552 lives in West Africa, mostly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
The tropical fever, which first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, can be transmitted to humans from wild animals.
It also reportedly spreads through contact with the body fluids of infected persons or of those who have died of the disease.
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