No Ebola case in Cambodia: PM

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday that the country has not seen any case related to the West Africa-hit Ebola virus disease.

His remarks came after rumors across social media in recent days that Ebola was found in Cambodia.

"There is no Ebola presence in Cambodia so far," the prime minister said during a graduation ceremony of students at Beltei International Institute.

He said the country has taken urgent measures to prevent the deadly Ebola virus by installing body-temperature sensors at airports and border checkpoints.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said early this month that Ebola poses a low public health risk to Cambodia because there is low travel connectivity between Cambodia and the West Africa where the current outbreak remains the public health concern.

On reducing the risk of exposure to Ebola, Bunheng advised Cambodians travelling to affected areas to maintain vigilance and adopt general health precautions.

"It needs to wash hands frequently and avoid direct contact with blood, secretions or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals," he said. "It also needs to avoid contacting stuff that have become contaminated with these infectious fluids such as soiled clothing, bed linen, or used needles."

Ebola virus disease, formerly known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, is a rare disease that causes severe, often fatal illness in humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There have been several Ebola outbreaks in Africa since the virus first appeared in 1976.

The WHO's latest update on the Ebola outbreak said 1,350 people have died of the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone since March.