Colombia has now started denying entry to travelers who recently went to affected countries as the Ebola virus outbreak crosses the borders of West Africa.

The country is now considered the first ever Latin American nation to ban people who had recently visited Ebola-stricken West African countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria from entering their territory.

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This is in response to a recommendation made by the National Health Institute in order to prevent the virus from spreading further, an anonymous Reuters source revealed on Tuesday.

According to a Foreign Ministry document, border guards will deny entry to those whose passports indicate recent travel to the West African nations as consulates are instructed to disapprove visa applications of individuals who had been in the countries heavily struck by Ebola for the past four weeks.

The report revealed that a questionnaire specially designed to detect potential risk of the virus to visa applicants will also be implemented.

Meanwhile, visitors from the 92 countries exempted from visa requisites are obliged to undergo procedures involving epidemiological tests and the establishment of a means of traceability of individual within the country will be done upon their entry to Colombia.

All these came after three suspected cases of Ebola surfaced on Friday when three travelers from Liberia and Sierra Leone were probed.

Though two of the cases were dismissed altogether, one remains under close monitoring during the 21-day incubation period to make sure he does not have the disease.

"The three cases are not under strict surveillance. Their temperature is measured two times a day for 21 days. At this moment, we are not alerted or worried. The individuals seem healthy. Two of them already completed their observation period" Colombian Minister of Health Alejandro Gaviria explained.

As the WHO revealed projections of about 5,000 to 10,000 new Ebola cases per week, the Colombian health ministry strictly follows the organization's directives on early detection of Ebola virus for suspected and probable cases.

TagsColombia, visa, Travel, WHO