Blackmailers Threaten Czech Republic With Ebola Outbreak

Blackmailers are threatening to spread Ebola in the Czech Republic unless Prague pays them a million euros' worth of the virtual Bitcoin currency, reveals police.

An e-mail allegedly from the blackmailers claiming they had "biological material" from an infected patient in Liberia was published by the country's top commercial TV station, TV Nova, on Monday.

CDC Urges 'Active' Monitoring of High-Risk Ebola Workers
Health authorities in US have urged active monitoring of people at risk of Ebola after returning from West Africa but stopped short of recommending a strict quarantine.

"An unknown perpetrator or perpetrators are blackmailing this state, threatening to spread the Ebola virus," the country's deputy police chief Zdenek Laube told reporters.

"From the very beginning these culprits have been seeking to spread panic, which is their primary goal," he added.

The blackmailers demanded one million euros ($1.27 million) in the virtual Bitcoin currency, payable in three installments, reports said.

IBM Offers Analytics Platform to Fight Ebola
IBM announced that it would offer its analytics platform and other technology for use in African countries affected by the Ebola epidemic.

The interior ministry said in a statement that "the culprit or culprits are using very sophisticated communication methods," without elaborating.

Robert Slachta, head of the UOOZ anti-organised crime squad, said the blackmailers could face up to 12 years in prison if found and convicted.

Restrictions on Ebola Health Workers Irk UN Chief
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has criticized quarantine restrictions put on health workers returning home.

Chief public health officer Vladimir Valenta said that the deadly virus, which has already killed almost 5,000 people, mainly in west Africa, was unlikely to spread to the Czech Republic.

"Obtaining the virus, its transport, efficiently spreading it in a way other than contact with an ill person or his or her fluids is not too realistic," he told reporters.

Health Worker Surge Needed in West Africa: EU Ebola Czar
Tens of thousands of health workers are needed to fight Ebola in west Africa, the EU's new Ebola czar said on Monday.

Tests have so far ruled out four suspected cases of Ebola in the Czech Republic, an EU member of 10.5 million people.

More than 10,000 people have contracted the deadly virus worldwide, according to the latest World Health Organization figures.

Source-AFP