Kenyan officials announced that they'll be closing the country's borders to travelers from countries that have been affected by Ebola, as a means for preventing the spread of the disease.

Travelers hoping to enter Kenya from Liberia, Guinea, or Sierra Leone will now be barred entry. BBC News reports that Kenyan Airways will halt flights going to Guinea and Sierra Leone when the ban begins this Wednesday, though health workers and Kenyan nationals flying from these countries will be allowed in.

Via the BBC:

Announcing the government's decision, Kenyan Health Minister James Macharia said it was "in the interest of public health".

He warned that Kenyans and health workers who had returned from the three west African states would face "strict checks" and would be quarantined if necessary.

On Friday, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the outbreak would take at least six months to bring under control.

According to reports on this Ebola outbreak by the World Health Organization, "the death toll rose to 1,145 after the WHO said 76 new deaths had been reported in the two days to 13 August. There have been 2,127 cases reported in total."

[Image via AP]