Ebola Outbreak Causes the CDC to Issue New Guidelines for Those Who Travel From Guinea and Congo
Last month, a new Ebola outbreak emerged in southeast Guinea. The African country had to deal with the first deaths caused by the disease since 2016. With seven infected people and three deaths, Guinea started to make experts worried, and it was only a matter of time until new guidelines were issued by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
The Washington Post reveals that airlines will be collecting contact information from those who travel to the USA from Guinea and Congo, the two African countries recently affected by Ebola. The announcement comes from federal health officials themselves.
Ill people will be isolated and treated
The information collected will obviously help the officials to identify those who manifest Ebola symptoms so that they can be treated. Rochelle Walensky, the director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, declared:
Timely public health follow-up requires health officials to have immediate access to accurate and complete contact information for travelers as they arrive in the United States.
Walensky also said:
Inaccurate or incomplete contact information reduces the ability of public health authorities to swiftly protect the health of travelers and the public. Any delay in contacting exposed individuals can increase the likelihood of disease spread.
What data is collected
Starting today, March 4, airlines will be collecting data like the full name, a primary phone number, a secondary phone number/emergency contact number, an email address, and the address while in the US of those who have been traveling to Guinea or Congo within 21 days before their return to the US.
While the first symptoms of Ebola are headaches, muscular pain, and sore throat, the next series of ways that the disease manifests itself are much more terrifying. Severely-ill Ebola patients are dealing with diarrhea, vomiting, rash, and decreased function of organs like kidneys or liver.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.
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