As Ebola is spreading internationally, some Baker students are preparing for international travel during the January interterm sessions. Destinations include the Netherlands, Mexico, Greece and Belize.

With increased security measures at international airports, students may be directly affected by the sudden Ebola outbreak.

“I expect going through airports will be a different experience than I have been through before,” sophomore Nick Becker said. “I am interested to see what changes.”

Becker is traveling to Amsterdam with a group of 12 other students and faculty.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “the 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa.”

The disease has spread to Western Europe and the United States as well. Two of the initial patients identified to have Ebola outside of Africa were in Madrid, Spain and Dallas.

“The thought of traveling abroad and potentially being exposed is something that has crossed my mind, but the fact the disease is not airborne eases my mind,” junior Jenna Warmund, who will be traveling to Yucatan, Mexico, with a group of 12 students, said. <br/>

The CDC issues different types of notices for international travelers. According to the CDC website, “(Notice levels) describe both the levels of risk for the traveler and recommended preventive measures to take.”

None of the countries where Baker is sending its students for interterm are currently on any of the notice levels implemented by the CDC. Belize, however, was recently in the news when that country imposed a travel ban. Any person who has visited Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria or Sierra Leone in the 30 days prior to entering Belize will be not permitted entrance into the country.

Even with the low risk of contracting the disease on their trips, both Becker and Warmund said that they would be staying on the safe side and doing plenty of research to become more educated on the topic.<br/>

Becker pointed out that this is not the first time that the United States has had a major disease scare.

“I feel like there is always some diseases that get very amped-up in the media," Becker said. "I remember when there was a scare about the swine flu a few years ago and eventually the story just grew old.” <br/>

Multiple international airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, are requiring Ebola screenings when some passengers go through customs.

Even with the increased security measure, a new Ebola patient has been identified in New York City. This patient passed through JFK’s security measures with no signs of Ebola at the time of the screening.

Although many people may fear Ebola, Baker students run a very low risk of contracting the disease on their upcoming interterm trips. Becker is not too concerned.

“I feel like I could go to Africa and I would still not be overly worried,” Becker said.