Oct. 14 – U.S. airports to begin screening for Marburg virus

Starting on?Monday, the?Centers for Disease Control will begin screening for a potentially deadly virus?amid an outbreak in Rwanda.

What’s happened so far? Last month, Rwandan health authorities first?confirmed 26 cases of Marburg virus, including six fatalities. It is the first time the virus has been detected in the country. Marburg is a viral hemorrhagic fever that?comes from fruit bats?and is similar to Ebola. It?spreads through contact with bodily fluids, unlike coronavirus. It comes on the heels of?similar outbreaks last year in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. Since Rwanda’s first announcement, there have been?at least 58 confirmed cases with 13 deaths. The United States moved quickly, announcing it would?reroute all travelers who had been in Rwanda recently?to airports in Chicago, New York or Washington, D.C., where they will undergo public health entry screening. Although there are?no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus, Rwanda is taking this opportunity to test some out. A U.S.-based non-profit?sent 700 doses of a trial vaccine?for health workers.?

The impact? Although the?Marburg virus has been around for decades, outbreaks are now?occurring more and more frequently. Experts attribute that partly to climate change and deforestation, saying people are now?more likely to come across animals?that can pass the disease onto them. That means screenings like these will become more and more frequent as a way to keep diseases from spreading.

To learn more about Margurg virus listen to this week's Factal Forecast or join the Global Security Briefing and watch the Oct. 10 briefing.