Rwanda orders Ebola screenings for visiting Americans

An East African nation is now requiring all visitors from the United States and Spain to be screened for the Ebola virus.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Health in Rwanda issued a statement ordering anyone who has visited the U.S. or Spain during the previous 22 days to report their medical condition – regardless of whether they are experiencing any symptoms of the disease.

Since Aug. 31, Rwanda has denied entry to all travelers who have visited Guinea, Liberia and Senegal in the prior 22 days. The nation, which also bans entry to anyone with a temperature over 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit, is about 3,000 miles from the areas ravaged by the disease. The Ministry of Health has reported no cases of Ebola in Rwanda.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that three people have been infected with Ebola, and about 100 are in quarantine, according to health officials.

The required screenings for Americans came two days after several students were kept from attending the Howard Yocum Elementary School in Maple Shade, New Jersey. The students, two American children who showed no symptoms of the virus, had spent time in Rwanda.