Screening procedures have commenced at a prominent US airport following an Ebola outbreak in certain regions of Africa. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the screening of select travelers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on May 20 in response to the outbreak.
Recently, the CDC announced a ban on entry into the US for any US passport holder who has visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past three weeks. This ban will be enforced for a minimum of 30 days as per the CDC’s directive issued on Monday.
Ebola, a highly contagious disease transmitted through bodily fluids, often leads to severe hemorrhagic fever, rapid organ failure, and bleeding. Dr. Tyler Evans, CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, expressed significant concern about the infectious nature of Ebola.
The Ebola cases are escalating in East and Central Africa, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global public health emergency. Reports indicate that at least six Americans have been exposed to Ebola.
An American doctor who contracted Ebola in the DRC has been transferred to Germany for treatment along with his family, as the World Health Organization expressed alarm about the outbreak’s magnitude and pace.
Federal health authorities are conducting screenings at O’Hare airport to prevent the virus from entering the US. Travelers who have been in Uganda, the DRC, or South Sudan within the last 21 days are denied entry unless they are US citizens or permanent residents. Additional screening measures are in place for returning citizens and permanent residents arriving from these countries.
The screening process involves temperature checks, inquiries about potential exposure, and the collection of contact-tracing details. Travelers showing symptoms or fever will undergo a secondary evaluation at a quarantine station in the airport. Cleared individuals will receive a care kit with instructions to monitor their temperature twice daily for the next three weeks.
US President Donald Trump expressed his worries about the Ebola outbreak, acknowledging its confinement to Africa but recognizing its potential threat.