CDC pushes Ebola requirements for international passengers traveling to US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require foreign travelers heading to the U.S. to certify they have not traveled to the Congo in the last three weeks amid a widespread outbreak of Ebola.

Reuters first reported on the new requirement Thursday, citing a CDC memo. The CDC initially held rules barring any travelers — including U.S. citizens — from the Congo within 21 days before departure.

The Hill has reached out to the CDC for comment.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of more than 9,000 confirmed cases in connection with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and more than 4,000 confirmed deaths as of Oct. 11. Officials said that the disease’s spread “remains high and fluctuating,” as the trend of the spread suggests “a shifting and geographically fragmented epidemic than sustained contraction.”

Kenya and Nigeria confirmed the first cases of Ebola after patients possibly crossed paths at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on Oct. 3, The Associated Press reported Thursday, citing Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African health officials seek to trace and slow down the outbreak.

“We are trying to contain it so it doesn’t go out to the communities,” Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Pate told the AP about the Nigerian case, noting that health officials are tracing 44 contacts and that additional contacts have been identified.

The patient is the Uganda-born wife of a diplomat who vacationed in Uganda for two weeks last month, the AP reported. Ugandan authorities claimed the patient traveled to the Congo, but Nigerian health officials disputed that.

Kenya has so far recorded nine cases, with 135 contacts linked and 134 contacts in quarantine.

In August, the Congo’s government requested the release of Ervebo vaccines from the global Ebola virus disease vaccine stockpile. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, which manages the stockpile, authorized an initial release of 70,000 doses, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention noted.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the move and said at the end of August that Uganda’s outbreak ended after a 42-day monitoring period with no reported cases. Uganda had reported 20 cases, with the last patient discharged from a hospital in mid-July, according to the WHO .

The response effort in the Congo has faced several obstacles, including limited health infrastructure, ongoing conflict, frequent population movement and a lack of trust in the government, according to the WHO.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director-general for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, has advocated for a “village-centered response” to the outbreak, including offering free healthcare services, ensuring the safe reopening of education centers and strengthening cross-border communication.