Pilgrims coming on airlines from West and Central Africa, and also from other countries, to Saudi Arabia are being monitored for the Ebola virus since they could have been on transit in the endemic countries and can potentially be carriers of the virus.

"We don't want to take any chances by allowing infected pilgrims into the Kingdom," Arab news quoted Sami Badawood, director general of the Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah, as saying.

"The suspected cases will be quarantined immediately and sent to a designated hospital for specialised treatment," he said

The Health Ministry has also issued an advisory against travel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and New Guinea. The government stopped issuing Haj visas to these countries as an initial step to control the spread of the disease among the pilgrims, the report said. – TradeArabia News Service