Localities are preparing all necessary measures to deal with the Ebola epidemic, which is raging in West Africa, once it hits the country.

The northern province of Bac Giang has issued an action plan directing all sectors and departments to stay ready for any case of emergency, promptly update on the latest developments of the disease, and soon detect any suspected cases to isolate them and give timely treatment.

Besides keeping a close watch on the health of passengers from the Ebola-hit region, local authorities have opened training courses for medical staff to guide them how to recognise the virus and treat patients.

The health department has been requested to prepare sufficient medicine and equipment while the department of information and communication is responsible for raising public awareness of the disease.

Meanwhile, the health department in the central province of Quang Nam has organised a drill for nearly 100 health workers in preparation for a possible Ebola outbreak.

The Preventive Medicine Centre will coordinate with competent agencies in border areas in closely supervising those who come from infected countries, said Director Vo Quang Loi.

The Pasteur Institute and the health department in Ho Chi Minh City on August 19 isolated two Nigerian passengers showing symptoms of fever when entering Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat International Airport .

Ebola, which is caught by close contact with an infected person through bodily fluids such as sweat, blood and tissue, has killed more than 1,200 people in the current outbreak, spreading from southern Guinea to Liberia , Sierra Leone and then Nigeria , according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

No infection of the virus has been reported in Vietnam so far.-VNA