US to screen travellers from Mali for Ebola

Washington, Nov 17 (IANS/EFE) The US will screen travellers from Mali for possible cases of Ebola, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced.

The travellers will undergo the same screening and monitoring process as those from the three most Ebola-affected countries of west Africa: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The measure will go into effect Monday.

"The Centres for Disease Control recommended this measure because there have been a number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Mali in recent days, and a large number of individuals may have been exposed to those cases," the DHS said Sunday.

The DHS justified it as a precautionary step due to the possibility of having new Ebola cases in Mali in the next few days.

It also added that even though there were no direct flights between the US and Mali, every day a small number of travellers, averaging 15 to 20, begin their journeys in Mali and reach the US transiting through other countries.

All people coming from Mali will be monitored for 21 days, the period during which the Ebola symptoms develop. Their temperature will be taken twice daily and they will be checked for any symptoms of the virus such as fever, vomiting and headaches.

--IANS/EFE

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