France Starts Ebola Screening For Guinea Air Passengers As Death Toll Rises

Ebola screening of air passengers from Guinea begins in France on Saturday as the virus continues to spread and kill more people.

The latest update for the number of deaths due to the contagious virus reveals that more than 4,500 individuals have been already killed out of the nearly 9,000 infected patients. The outbreak, which originally started in the west part of Africa is already beginning to cause a world-wide hysteria after several deaths have also been reported from different countries in the globe. As the death toll continues to rise, health officials are already taking necessary precaution to prevent the further spread of the disease by closely monitoring people coming in and out of the country especially those who are from the greatly affected locations.

France becomes the latest country to take part in the airport screenings, which actually aims to detect potentially Ebola infected travelers. According to the latest report, French authorities have already started screening passengers coming from Guinea where the major outbreak is. The country's participation follows that of the U.S., the UK and Canada's decision to enhance screening procedures with the fear that the virus may enter their territory and infect their people.

The screening will include the traditional temperature taking of the passengers from Guinea with the use of a non-contact thermometer. Although the said protocol will help detect any possible infections, Air France unions suggested that the service between the two countries should be suspended while health authorities attempt to control the spread of the Ebola virus.

It is not just France that actually considered the idea of suspending flights from the affected West African countries; however, experts also believe that halting flights will just worsen the situation. The announcement of screening passengers from Guinea came after a French nurse who cared for an Ebola patient became sick, although the results were reportedly negative. The government also added that they will announce if there is any confirmed case of the disease in the country.