According to the Biden administration, the United States will screen travelers coming from Uganda for Ebola as an additional precaution in an attempt to prevent the spread of an outbreak.
KAMPALA, UGANDA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — The Biden administration said Thursday it will begin screening travelers arriving from Uganda for Ebola as a precautionary measure to try to prevent the spread of the outbreak.
- To prevent the spread of Ebola in Uganda, the Biden administration announced Thursday that travelers from Uganda will be screened for the disease.
- According to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity and was not authorized to talk publicly about screening protocols, Ebola risk in the U.S. is low at the moment as there have been no reports of cases outside Uganda. According to the official, the screening move is an additional precaution.
- Screenings for Ebola will begin immediately in the United States, with full coverage of passengers from Uganda expected by the end of the week.
- Travelers who have been in Uganda at any point during the past 21 days, which is the incubation period for the virus, will be directed to one of five American airports for Ebola screening: Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, JFK International Airport in New York, Washington-Dulles International Airport, Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Currently, there are no suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of Ebola outside Uganda, so the risk is considered low in the United States, according to a senior administration official who did not wish to speak publicly about screening protocols.
According to the official, the screening was undertaken as an additional precaution.
In the U.S., Ebola screening will begin right away, with full coverage for passengers from Uganda expected by the end of the week.
Ebola screening will take place at one of five American airports after travelers have been in Uganda for 21 days, the period during which the virus is incubated. New York’s JFK International Airport, Washington-Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will be screening passengers.
By conducting a “temperature check, risk assessment, visual symptom check, and contact information verification”, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide passengers with all the necessary information about them.
In an article from usatoday.com, authorities said that they would share that information with local health departments at the travelers’ final destination. The screenings will begin immediately, and full coverage will be completed by the end of the week for Ugandan passengers.
There are about 145 people per day entering the U.S. from Uganda, most of whom are already arriving at the five airports that serve as major airline hubs, according to the Biden administration. A rebooking will be provided by their airline to anyone scheduled to fly into a different airport, the administration said.
Ebola: How does it spread?
An infection with Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever, is spread through contact with bodily fluids and contaminated items. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and at times bleeding internally or externally.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people contract Ebola virus by coming into contact with an animal infected with the virus, such as a fruit bat or a nonhuman primate.
Find out what’s new on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda
For the latest Ebola updates on Uganda, use the hashtag #EbolaOutbreakUG on Twitter to keep up to date with verified information from the country’s health ministry.
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