China has started screening for body temperature at the entrance to the Canton Fair, the nation’s largest trade expo, which takes place in the southern province of Guangdong. Tens of thousands of buyers from around the world participate in the event.
On Oct. 23, health servants in white protective suits and wearing masks measured the temperature of every person entering the Canton Fair building in Guangzhou City, according to state-run Xinhua.
Anyone with a temperature higher than 99 degrees is sent to a hospital for diagnosis and treatment, the report says. The trade fair runs through Nov. 4.
Over 8600 people from West Africa, where Ebola has killed over 4500 people, entered Guangzhou from August 23 to Oct. 21, Xinhua says.
An expert quoted by the state-run China News says the risk of Ebola breaking out in China is high. “It’s just a matter of time,” said deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu.
“As long as the disease can’t be controlled in Africa, the risk of it being spread to China is great,” Gao said.
Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, has the largest African population in China with over 300,000 African residents. There are around 200 flights from Africa carrying 45,000 people to Guangzhou each month, according to Chinese media.
