No Ebola cases spotted in China: official

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BEIJING — The Chinese health authority has confirmed no Ebola cases have been reported in China so far.

Song Shuli, spokeswoman of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), made the remarks at a press conference held Thursday, adding a series of preventative measures have been taken to stop the virus from entering China.

Song said NHFPC has strengthened its communication with World Health Organization (WHO) to better monitor and predict the spread of the Ebola virus and has ordered border control authorities to intensify their checks of inbound travellers from related countries.

A prevention and control plan has been laid out which says local medical institutions must report any confirmed or suspected Ebola cases directly to NHFPC within two hours, according to Song.

She noted it is still very important for the public to learn about the disease and know how to protect themselves.

Song also said the risk of the virus spreading beyond Africa is still low, citing an evaluation report from the WHO. A WHO statement on Wednesday said the death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 932.

In late July, a Hong Kong woman who showed symptoms similar to those of the Ebola virus after visiting Kenya tested negative for the disease, but still caused brief panic.