To prevent the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries from entering the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced new border health measures. Starting Thursday, May 21, the U.S. will consolidate all health screenings for travelers from the affected region at a single airport, ending the previous practice of conducting inspections at multiple airports.
Under the new rules, any international flight carrying passengers who have visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days must, regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be rerouted to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia for further screening.
The measure was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who took over the department in March of this year, replacing former Secretary Kristi Noem, who was dismissed.
The U.S. government said the move is intended to centralize potentially high-risk travelers to allow federal health agencies to concentrate resources, strengthen quarantine procedures, and improve follow-up tracking.
On the night of May 20, an Air France flight was forced to divert and land in Canada after U.S. border officials discovered that there was a passenger on board from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Although the passenger holds Congolese nationality, it is currently unclear whether they had recently stayed in the country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) later told the media that Air France had “mistakenly” allowed the passenger to board a flight bound for the United States. Because the U.S. has imposed entry restrictions on relevant countries, the traveler should not have been permitted to board.
The U.S. government is currently on high alert to prevent the spread of Ebola. Ebola is a highly lethal virus that spreads between people through bodily fluids from infected individuals. It damages blood vessels and can cause severe bleeding, vomiting, and fatal organ failure.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Wednesday, May 20 this outbreak has been linked to 139 deaths and approximately 600 suspected cases reported in Ituri Province and North Kivu Province. Neighboring Uganda has also confirmed two cases.
The WHO last weekend declared that this Ebola outbreak—caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine is currently available—constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
