Colleges begin screening for Ebola ahead of US school year

Several colleges in the United States will begin screening foreign students for Ebola as a result of the outbreak currently sweeping West Africa.

Associated Press report that a voluntary temperature check and information about the deadly disease would be offered to students alongside their standard yearly immunisations in a number of institutions.

At some colleges, like the University of Akron in Ohio, staff have asked students arriving from West Africa to monitor their temperature for around 21 days to ensure they are not unwittingly carrying the Ebola virus.

While federal agencies have yet to issue firm guidelines dictating the approach colleges should take to Ebola, many local and state agencies have issued directions in the event an outbreak occurs.

An advisory from the Boston Public Health Commission said that, although the likelihood of becoming infected with Ebola was small, school administrators should reach out to any student that had travelled to affected areas during the summer break.

More than 1,500 people have died from Ebola during the latest outbreak, with the World Health Organisation warning that around 20,000 could be infected as the virus continues to spread.