The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday imposed new travel restrictions and enhanced screening measures for travelers from parts of Central and East Africa as health officials race to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The CDC said it is invoking a Title 42 public health order to temporarily suspend entry for some non-U.S. travelers who have recently been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, while increasing monitoring for others arriving from the region.
Recommended Stories
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents will still be allowed to enter, but may face additional health screening requirements. The agency said the measures are intended to prevent Ebola from entering the United States as cases rise in Central Africa.
Non-U.S. passport holders are restricted from entering the country if they have been in Uganda, Congo, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. The CDC said it is coordinating with airlines, international partners, and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers who may have been exposed to the virus.
Additionally, the CDC said it will enhance port health protection response activities, contact tracing, laboratory testing capacity, and hospital readiness nationwide, as well as continue to deploy CDC personnel to support containment efforts in affected regions.
The restrictions come as the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, citing the spread of a rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus with no approved vaccine or targeted treatment.
CDC officials said the immediate risk to the public remains low but confirmed at least one American tested positive for Ebola while working in Congo. The infected individual, identified as a medical missionary, is being transported to Germany for treatment, while several others believed to have been exposed are being medically monitored and evacuated from the outbreak area.
Speaking at a separate event Monday, President Donald Trump said people should be concerned about the outbreak but stressed it remains geographically limited for now.
“I’m concerned about everything,” Trump said. “It’s been confined right now to Africa, but it’s something that has had a breakout.”
Dr. Heidi Overton, a member of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, said the administration has activated a “full interagency response,” involving the State Department, CDC, and Defense Department, to monitor the outbreak and assist Americans in the region.
She said the American and the six other high-risk contacts are being taken to Germany, which has a treatment hub for viral hemorrhagic diseases.
AMERICAN MISSIONARY TESTS POSITIVE FOR EBOLA WHILE SERVING IN CONGO
Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can cause fever, vomiting, bleeding, and organ failure. While outbreaks have historically been concentrated in Africa, the virus prompted global alarm during the 2014 West Africa epidemic, when infected aid workers were flown to the U.S. for treatment.
Overton emphasized that there are no known cases of Ebola in the U.S., adding that the administration plans to keep it that way.
