John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City will begin Ebola screenings for passengers flying in from countries impacted in the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
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“Public health entry screening serves as one component of CDC’s layered public health approach, which also includes overseas exit screening, airline illness reporting, and post-arrival public health monitoring,” the CDC said in a post on X.
Screenings for travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Uganda were already being conducted at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Travelers who have been in one of those countries within 21 days prior to arriving in the United States will be escorted to a designated airport screening area, the CDC said. They will then answer public health screening questions and may undergo additional assessments as needed.
The outbreak in Congo is caused by a rare strain of Ebola called Bundibugyo. It has grown rapidly, with 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in that country, according to the World Health Organization. There have been seven confirmed cases in Uganda. There is no vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.
The only American who has tested positive so far is a surgeon who had been working at a hospital in Congo. He was flown to Germany for treatment.
Senior administration officials said Thursday that if more Americans contract Ebola and need advanced medical care, they will be sent to Europe. The U.S has already set up a facility in Kenya for any Americans who were exposed.