The World Health Organization says the country is ready to start transporting specimens of the deadly Ebola virus from West Africa to the new P4 laboratory in Wuhan.

However, special rules and procedures must be followed to ensure the operation is carried out safely.

Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO's representative in China, said International Air Transport Association rules and regulations for packaging and transportation by plane must be adhered to when shipping Ebola samples for research purposes.