US President Donald Trump has expressed his apprehension regarding the Ebola outbreak as America imposes travel bans on citizens from several countries amid an epidemic of the fatal virus.
When asked by a reporter whether he was worried about the virus, Trump responded: “[I] certainly am.” He went on to say, “I think that it’s been confined right now to Africa, but it’s something that has had a breakout.”
Any individual carrying a US passport who has been to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan during the previous three weeks is barred from entering the United States of America. The ban will stay in effect for at least 30 days, as outlined in a directive issued by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday, reports the Daily Star.
View 2 ImagesEbola is a severe and often fatal disease(Image: GETTY)
Ebola is a highly contagious illness spread through contact with bodily fluids. It commonly causes fatal haemorrhagic fever, rapid multi-organ failure and internal or external bleeding.
Over 100 fatalities and approximately 400 suspected infections have been recorded in the DRC since the outbreak was officially declared on Saturday. Two imported infections were verified in neighbouring Uganda and the World Health Organization (WHO) has since classified the epidemic as a global health emergency, characterising the outbreak as an “extraordinary” event.
According to The Telegraph, the US travel ban technically breaches International Health Regulations (IHR). The IHR constitutes a legally binding set of regulations established by the WHO. Washington has announced it will no longer comply with these regulations following its departure from the WHO in January.
The rules prevent countries from introducing health measures that “significantly interfere with international traffic,” such as visa restrictions, border closures or flight suspensions, unless there is scientific justification.
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At least six Americans are reported to have been exposed to Ebola. Health authorities are now considering evacuating them for quarantine at a US military facility in Germany. The facility could be the US Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre (LRMC), which fulfilled a similar role during a previous Ebola outbreak.
Just a fortnight earlier, US President Donald Trump had threatened to close down military bases in Germany.
An American missionary doctor has become the first confirmed US Ebola case. The medic contracted the virus in the DRC and is currently being evacuated to Germany for treatment.
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Another US patient is reportedly showing symptoms of the deadly haemorrhagic fever. Three others are thought to have had “high-risk” contact with patients.
The CDC has said it was working with US officials “who are actively coordinating the safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans who are directly affected by this outbreak”. The current outbreak has been identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is neither an approved vaccine nor a recognised treatment.
Following Trump’s comments, an official confirmed that there are presently no cases of Ebola on American soil. “We want to keep it that way,” she stated.