Starting next week, people who have traveled to Rwanda within the last 21 days will be subject to public health screenings in the U.S.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the screenings are part of a government-wide approach to respond to the Marburg virus disease outbreak in the African country.
Rwanda has reported 49 cases and 12 deaths from MVD, federal officials said on Monday. No cases have been detected in any other country, including the
U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people traveling to Rwanda reconsider non-essential travel due to the outbreak.
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MVD is described as a “rare but severe hemorrhagic fever that can cause serious illness and death.” Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, or unexplained bleeding, according to the CDC.
It is spread through bodily fluids — such as blood, urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, amniotic fluid, or semen — of an infected person or someone who has recently died from the disease, the CDC says.
There is no treatment or FDA-approved vaccine for MVD. However, the federal government says it has invested millions to develop a vaccine and treatment.
