Under the new rules, non US passport holders who have travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days face entry restrictions into the United States. …reports Asian Lite News
The United States has imposed sweeping travel restrictions and enhanced screening measures on travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan following confirmation of an Ebola case involving an American aid worker exposed during relief operations in Central Africa.
The measures were announced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as health authorities intensified efforts to prevent the spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola beyond the outbreak zone.
Speaking during a media briefing, CDC Ebola Response Incident Manager Dr Satish Pillai confirmed that one American working in the DRC tested positive for Ebola after developing symptoms over the weekend.
In response, the CDC, Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies launched a coordinated emergency health response, including stricter airport screening, traveller monitoring and entry restrictions targeting recent visitors from the affected African nations.
Under the new rules, non US passport holders who have travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days face entry restrictions into the United States. Authorities are also working with airlines, international partners and port officials to identify passengers who may have been exposed to the virus.
The CDC said it was further strengthening contact tracing systems, expanding laboratory testing capacity and increasing hospital preparedness across the country as part of wider containment efforts.
Dr Pillai described the situation as “highly fluid” and said US agencies were operating around the clock to manage the evolving outbreak.
The infected American and six high risk contacts are being transferred to Germany for treatment and observation due to the country’s specialised Ebola care facilities and shorter evacuation times from Central Africa.
Health officials stressed that the risk to the wider American public remains low, but urged travellers heading to the affected region to avoid contact with sick individuals and report symptoms immediately.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant that has previously caused only two known outbreaks, in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2015.
The CDC also acknowledged there are currently no approved vaccines or therapies specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, though officials said experimental monoclonal antibody treatments and post exposure prophylaxis options are being explored.
The outbreak was first linked to a suspected index case identified in eastern DRC in early April, in a region heavily affected by conflict and instability, factors that health officials said delayed detection and response efforts.
