Chinese health authorities are readying preparatory measures, particularly in viral testing and control, to prevent the highly lethal Ebola virus from entering the country.

But the chance of that happening remains remote, experts said.

As of July 27, there had been 1,323 cases attributed to Ebola and 729 deaths in four countries - Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone - according to data released by the World Health Organization on Thursday.