Senegal reopens air, sea borders with Ebola-hit nations: report

DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal has lifted a ban on traffic by air and sea with Ebola-stricken Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, reversing a measure in place since August to halt the spread of the disease, Senegal's APS news agency reported on Friday.

Senegal's land border with Guinea, which was the first country to record Ebola in the region this year, remains closed, APS said.

Mali, Senegal's neighbour to the east, is battling a new wave of cases. However, that border remains open.

Senegal itself recorded a single case of Ebola, a student who crossed the border from Guinea, but a wider outbreak was prevented and the country was declared Ebola-free last month after completing a 42-day period with no new cases

Experts have warned against border closures and travel restrictions as a means of containing the virus. Ebola has killed at least 5,177 people in eight countries - predominantly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - since March, according to the World Health Organization.

The continent's leaders have pledged not to sever links with the area hardest hit by Ebola. However, fearing the destruction brought on the worst-hit countries, a number of them have maintained a range of restrictive measures that have curbed trade and travel.