The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security have announced enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and additional public health measures aimed at preventing Ebola virus disease from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa.
According to the CDC, the measures were introduced on May 18 as health officials respond to Ebola outbreaks affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
“To date, no Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been reported in the United States, and the risk to the general public remains low,” the CDC said.
Health authorities in the DRC and Uganda reported that, as of May 25, the DRC had recorded 906 suspected cases, 105 confirmed cases, 223 suspected deaths and 10 confirmed deaths linked to the outbreak. Uganda reported seven confirmed cases and one confirmed death.
The CDC said the outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, which was identified after a cluster of severe illnesses among healthcare workers in northeastern DRC earlier this month.
Officials noted there is currently no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain and treatment is limited to supportive care.
Under the new U.S. measures, affected air passengers traveling from the DRC, South Sudan and Uganda will be rerouted to arrive only through Washington Dulles International Airport and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for enhanced screening procedures.
The CDC also confirmed that the United States has imposed entry restrictions on non-U.S. passport holders who have been in Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan within the previous 21 days.
Additional measures include expanded traveler monitoring, coordination with airlines and international partners, increased contact tracing and strengthened hospital readiness nationwide.
The agency said an American healthcare worker exposed while caring for Ebola patients in the DRC tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo disease on May 17 and was transported to Germany for treatment.
High-risk contacts linked to the exposure were also relocated to Germany and the Czech Republic.
The CDC said it continues to work with international partners, health ministries and U.S. agencies on disease tracking, laboratory testing, infection prevention efforts and outbreak containment.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and case counts are subject to change,” the CDC warned.
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That’s exactly what Gaston and his creative enrichment team should do but no. His rass go tempt fate and put all citizens here at risk.
But……. https://antiguanewsroom.com/pm-says-25-air-peace-passengers-will-travel-to-antigua-from-barbados-on-liat/
You can’t blame anyone but yourselves for voting the jackass and his asses back into power.
How that free gas and money vouchers working out for you? You run out of food yet? How them gifts going, they preventing you from catching the Ebola? Make sure you ready to get jab again.
You getting exactly what you voted for and I laughing my rass off.
The US tightens entry measures amidst Ebola concerns while we seem be be leaving the flood gates open. While I am happy to see travel between Africa and the Caribbean, now is not the appropriate time to start this given the Ebola hype. Yes the flights are not coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo or Sudan but there are always lots of people movement throughout Africa and it could very well happen that passengers coming to our shores have recently been in those areas where Ebola is present. These Air Peace flights are putting Antigua and Barbuda and its citizens in unnecessary risks and ought to be suspended until it is deemed safely to do so. Remarkably, Air Peace flights to Antigua and Barbuda have always been clouded in confusion and this is just another such episode. Meanwhile there was quite a showdown in St Kitts between immigration and several Nigerian passengers who originally landed in Barbados on Air Peace as they were denied landing access in St Kitts when they came off of a regional airline. St. Kitts immigration said that they didn’t have the proper landing papers for St. Kitts. Listen out for more on this.