Major airport begins screening for Ebola as heath specialists ‘very involved’ over outbreak
Ebola outbreak screening has begun for some travellers at at a major airport, as health officials respond to the outbreak and a US travel ban is imposed on visitors from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan
Border health officer at the crossing between Uganda and the DRC checking someone’s temperature (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Screening has commenced at a major US airport in response to an outbreak of the highly infectious Ebola virus in several African countries.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated screening procedures for some travellers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday, May 20, as health officials tackle the outbreak.
This move follows closely on the heels of the CDC’s announcement that any US passport holder who has travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the last three weeks will be denied entry into the country. The ban is set to remain in place for a minimum of 30 days, as per an order issued by the CDC on Monday.
Ebola is an extremely contagious disease spread through contact with bodily fluids. It often results in fatal haemorrhagic fever, swift multi-organ failure and internal or external bleeding.
“Ebola is one of the most infectious diseases out there. I’m not an alarmist, but I’m very concerned,” said Dr Tyler Evans, CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, reports the Mirror.
Cases of Ebola continue to proliferate across parts of East and Central Africa, leading the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
At least six Americans are reported to have been exposed to Ebola.
An American doctor who contracted Ebola in the DRC has been airlifted to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the “scale and speed” of the outbreak.
Federal health officials have stated that the screening procedures at the bustling O’Hare airport are designed to stop the virus from reaching the US.
Individuals who have visited Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan within the past 21 days are being refused entry unless they hold US citizenship or permanent residency. Citizens and permanent residents returning from those nations must undergo extra screening protocols at the airport.
Officials are monitoring travellers’ temperatures, asking about possible exposure and gathering contact-tracing details.
Anyone displaying symptoms or running a temperature will be escorted to a quarantine facility at the airport for further assessment.
If given the all-clear, the traveller will receive a care package containing guidance to check their temperature twice daily for the following three weeks.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he is concerned about the Ebola outbreak.
When asked by a reporter about his concerns over the virus, Trump responded: “[I] certainly am.”
“I think that it’s been confined right now to Africa, but its something that has had a breakout.”
