Washington.- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States stated this Friday that the risk to the country from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda remains low.
“Currently, the risk to the U.S. remains low, because Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids and because the United States has a strong public health surveillance system,” said Dr. Satish Pillai, a CDC official, in a call with journalists.
The CDC issued an order this week suspending entry into the U.S. for foreign nationals who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days prior to their arrival, while U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents can enter under health control.
Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security ordered that flights with passengers from these countries must be redirected to Washington-Dulles airport, where the CDC will carry out enhanced health screening.
WHO raises risk in DRC and Uganda
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The doctor detailed that at Dulles they are “implementing travel measures to limit the risk” of contagion, such as temperature checks, a brief questionnaire, and a health assessment upon arrival, but that they are not performing tests.
He also pointed out that the decision to concentrate flights in a single airport is due to the relatively low volume of travelers from these countries.
However, Pillai did not offer further details on the condition of the American doctor infected with the Ebola virus in the DRC, admitted since Wednesday in Germany.
The patient, who is in one of the centers of the Charité university hospital in Berlin, is weak but not in critical condition, the hospital reported this Friday.
This missionary contracted the virus while working with Ebola patients at Nyankunde Hospital, according to the Christian organization Serge, based in Pennsylvania (USA).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised this Friday from “high” to “very high” the risk from the Ebola outbreak within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths.
The U.S. government activated on Monday a broad interagency mechanism to respond to the outbreak with the aim of containing the spread of the virus and reducing the risk of international expansion.
