Brussels Airport FINALLY Begins Ebola Screening

PolitiChicks.comWhat does every Ebola or suspected Ebola patient who has arrived in the USA have in common? It’s not that they came from the same African country or that they flew on the same plane, or even the same day, etc. It is that they all have flights that take them into Brussels, Belgium first before heading on to the United States. So, it was a welcome sign when Belgian authorities finally decided to begin screening travelers for the Ebola virus.

Brussels International Airport is located in Zaventem, Belgium and is a very busy airport. Being the capital of Europe makes Brussels a frequent stop for travelers from all over the world. Frequently, the round-about leading to the airport is heavily guarded by police and other security forces when a VIP is arriving or departing. Recently I flew into Brussels and spent over an hour packed in line with hundreds of travelers many of them notably African.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Being an alarmist or a germaphobe is something I have never been accused, but it seems like a good idea to be cautious with such a deadly disease. The decision to begin these measures was caused in part by an incident on a Brussels airline with an elderly man traveling to Washington, D.C. At some point during the flight the man vomited and caused some concern as he was traveling from Liberia, one of the Ebola stricken African nations.

The man ultimately did not test positive for Ebola but prior to this knowledge the Brussels airplane returned to Zaventem empty. The National Ebola Coordinator (the USA’s version of the Ebola Czar) Dr. Erika Vlieghe announced the screenings would begin this past week. Airport officials at Zaventem stated, “We have screened passengers from a flight that came from West Africa for the first time. This happened straight after they got off the plane. Everything went very smoothly and there were no suspected cases.”

Although this is a promising sign for travelers, it is not enough. Americans are fully aware of the recent case in which US Doctor Craig Spencer passed the airport screening measures similar to those now in place in Belgium. He later came down with the deadly disease and has created a small panic in the New York area. Dr. Spencer and the deceased Thomas Duncan both passed through Brussels Airport on their way to the USA.

Shannon Grady

South Carolina Politichick Shannon Grady came to the staff in late 2013 with experience writing political pieces on US foreign, domestic, and education policy for SGPAction.com. Shannon has also been a guest commentator on The PonyTail Patriot BlogTalkRadio show. Shannon brings a unique perspective to European politics as she is able to cover events happening across Europe from the heart of the EU, while living in Brussels, Belgium. Her articles include original coverage of the Memorial Day events at Flanders Field, Belgium and the 70th anniversary D-Day events in Normandy, France. Shannon has a BA in History from the University of South Carolina, a Masters from Webster University, and recently finished her doctorate program at Liberty University where she focused on Educational Leadership and Administration. She currently teaches online AP courses in Macro and Micro Economics and AP US history. She is the wife of active duty Army officer LTC Matthew Grady who is currently assigned to NATO in Belgium and the mother of one rambunctious little boy. Follow Shannon on Twitter: @SGPAExPat

Related Articles

Back to top button
Close
Close

Please disable ad blocker.

We work hard to write our articles and provide you with the content you enjoy. The ads on the site allow us to continue our work while feeding our families. If you'd please whitelist our site in your ad blocker or remove your ad blocker altogether, we'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you!