Saudi Arabia suspends travel to three African nations amid Ebola alert

Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended travel for its citizens to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, and halted the issuance of all types of visas and the entry of travellers from the three countries as a precautionary measure against Ebola, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The suspension also applies to travellers arriving via a third country who have resided in one of the three nations within 21 days prior to entering the kingdom, according to SPA. The Saudi Public Health Authority said no confirmed or suspected Ebola cases have been recorded in the kingdom since the preventive measures were put in place. The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing its 17th Ebola outbreak, which was announced in mid-May. The outbreak has hit the eastern part of the country and spread to neighbouring Uganda. The Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday reported 1,118 confirmed Ebola cases, including 291 deaths, while the World Health Organisation warned that the outbreak continues to outpace the response.