Mexico airport prepares to deal with Ebola virus

City, Aug 19: The Mexico City International Airport is ready to deal with any possible cases of

, a disease that is spreading through West

, aviation officials said.

Posters informing travelers about the disease and the measures to take to avoid spreading it are being put up around the airport.

The airport "is fully complying with the regulations established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regarding the outbreak", airport management said in a statement.

The facility is ready to operate under the Airport Security Plan if officials suspect a traveller is infected with the disease, general manager Alfonso Sarabia de la Garza said.

"We are prepared for the early detection of suspicious cases so we can take the necessary corrective actions, but the health ministry has confirmed that the virus is not present in Mexico at this time," Sarabia de la Garza said.

The chances of the Ebola virus reaching Mexico are small, but health officials are ready to deal with any threat, Sarabia de la Garza said.

Over the past four months, 2,127 people have been infected with the virus in West Africa, of whom 1,145 have died.

Ebola, which is transmitted through direct contact with blood or body fluids of infected people or animals, causes serious haemorrhaging and can have a 90 percent mortality rate.

This is the first time that the disease has been identified and an epidemic has been confirmed in West Africa, with outbreaks to date having been confined to Central Africa.

IANS/EFE