Ministers from countries within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) convened an emergency meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday to formulate a regional response to the Ebola epidemic.
A statement released by the SADC secretariat says World Health Organization officials and other stakeholders are attending the two-day meeting.
However, deputy health minister Paul Chimedza told VOA Studio 7, Health Minister David Parirenyatwa could not attend the SADC meeting as he was held up by other matters.
Earlier, Chimedza said the government is prepared to combat the Ebola virus if it finds its way into the country.
He said his ministry has re-activated rapid response teams to man all exit and entry points, and has started training health personnel experts.
The outbreak, which was first reported in Guinea and has spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, has claimed at least 932 lives.