Three days after the world got a glimpse of the sickening sickness that’s swept through Africa, Dutch Health officials have finally traced the virus’ path.
According to NBC News, the Netherlands’ health minister Maartje Paumen told reporters that she has identified 61 cases of the disease, which has affected more than 300 people so far, on flights to the country. Most of the cases have been traced to passengers returning from trips in the past few months to Ethiopia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The World Health Organization has been documenting the outbreak and new cases are on the rise, with the heaviest toll being found in four of the countries most impacted: Nigeria, Benin, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The illness has the flu-like symptoms of fever, body aches, and a rash, which tend to disappear on their own within a few days or weeks. Unlike the dangerous Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, the disease can spread easily on the plane, although travel experts say the risk to travelers is still very low.
According to the WHO, 741 people have been infected with the disease since August. More than 60 people have died. It is now considered a priority to combat the spread of the illness in the region.