Health officials have expanded Ebola screening measures to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after federal authorities confirmed that an American physician contracted the virus during the ongoing outbreak in Africa.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that JFK began conducting enhanced health screenings on Friday, becoming the fourth major U.S. airport to implement the program. The airport joins Washington Dulles International Airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport in screening travelers arriving from affected regions.
The World Health Organization designated the current outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 15.
The outbreak originated in Congo’s northeastern Ituri Province before spreading into neighboring Uganda. According to the latest WHO figures released May 30, there have been 906 suspected infections and 223 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.
Federal officials said Peter Stafford, a 39-year-old American physician working with the missionary organization Serge, unknowingly performed surgery on a patient infected with Ebola before the outbreak was identified.
Stafford tested positive for the virus on May 24. Authorities subsequently transferred him to a hospital in Germany, where he is receiving treatment.
Over the past week, the United States has redirected travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan to designated airports where they undergo enhanced screening procedures aimed at identifying potential exposures.
Under newly revised federal rules, lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days may also be barred from entering the United States.
“Public health entry screening serves as one component of CDC’s layered public health approach,” the CDC said in the May 29 announcement.
“These actions are based on current epidemiological evidence, ongoing risk assessments, and the highly serious nature of BVD (Bundibugyo). This order will be in effect for 30 days, effective immediately.”
Travelers selected for screening will be escorted to a designated area, where they will answer questions about their recent travel and any symptoms they may be experiencing. Their temperatures will be checked using non-contact devices, and CDC personnel will observe them for signs of illness.
The CDC continues to classify the immediate risk to the general American public as low. However, officials said they are closely monitoring developments and will adjust policies as conditions change.
In the meantime, the agency is advising anyone traveling to the United States from affected countries to monitor themselves for possible Ebola symptoms for 21 days after departure.
Symptoms associated with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which carries an estimated mortality rate of between 30 and 50 percent, include fever, headaches, muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and, in advanced cases, unexplained bleeding or bruising.
The CDC also said it is working to evacuate additional Americans from the region, including Stafford’s wife, Rebekah Stafford, 38, a physician who also treated the infected patient.
{Matzav.com}