United States Equips Airports with Ebola Testing Ahead of World Cup

Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz. (Wikimedia Commons - David Berkowitz) 

JAKARTA - The United States has equipped all major airports with testing tools to prevent Ebola transmission during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first tournament to feature 48 national teams and will be co-hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The championship will take place from June 11 to July 19.

"We have deliberately installed testing tools and mechanisms at major airports... that people will pass through," Oz said during a White House press conference on Tuesday, quoted by Antara.

Oz then expressed his confidence in the Director of the National Institute of Health, Jay Bhattacharya, for his ability to help prevent Ebola from entering the US and infecting Americans.

"I have great faith in Jay's abilities. He is a brilliant scientist and knows a lot about the virus... He is a brave person who will make the right and transparent decisions," Oz continued.

On May 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern.

According to the UN, as of May 31, 210 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, with 17 deaths. In addition, about 350 suspected cases are under investigation, and 16 health workers have been infected.

Ebola is a frequently fatal disease that is transmitted from wild animals such as bats and primates to humans.

However, the transmission then spread through individuals who were infected through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs, or other body fluids from infected people, as well as through contact with materials contaminated with these fluids.

The United Nations estimates the average death rate for the disease is 50 percent, but has reached as high as 90 percent in previous outbreaks.

Discovered in 1976, the first major and most complex outbreak of this virus occurred from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa. According to the WHO, more than 28,600 people contracted the disease, and 11,325 people died during the epidemic.