Three United States airports will start screening travelers entering the country from Rwanda due to the Marburg virus outbreak in the East African nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on October 7 that the screenings will begin in mid-October. All travelers entering the U.S. will be rerouted to Chicago O’Hare Airport, New York City’s JFK Airport, or the Washington D.C. area’s Dulles Airport. The governmental agency’s staffers at one of the three screening airports will conduct temperature checks and analyze flyers for various Marburg virus symptoms.
Travelers who’ve been to Rwanda within 21 days of entry into the United States will be screened.
What Should I Know About Marburg Virus?
The World Health Organization states the death rate can be as high as 88% for those who contract the virus. Symptoms can arise within 21 days.
The CDC currently has Rwanda listed under a Level 3 advisory, telling jet-setters to “reconsider nonessential travel.” The directive was implemented “for all of Rwanda because confirmed infections have been reported in several districts.” The source also claimed that the “numbers of infections have increased.” Per the government agency’s reporting, Rwanda documented 56 illnesses and 12 deaths from the disease as of October 8.
The State Department also lists Rwanda as a Level 3 travel advisory, noting that U.S. citizens should “reconsider” going there.
The CDC details that you can get the Marburg virus from the bodily fluids of a sick or deceased person with the condition. It can also be contracted from various fruit bats found in different places in Africa. Symptoms of the illness include a high fever, a rash, a sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and more. The organization describes the Marburg virus as “a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever, similar to Ebola, that can cause serious illness and death.”
