In an announcement yesterday by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, the United States will be implementing new measures for preventing Ebola from entering the country. Johnson said in a statement– We are announcing travel restrictions in the form of additional screening and protective measures at our ports of entry for travelers from the three West African Ebola-affected countries.
Last week, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DHS implemented enhanced screening measures at five airports around the country – New York’s JFK, Newark, Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago. Passengers flying into one of these airports from flights originating in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are subject to secondary screening and added protocols, including having their temperature taken, before they can be admitted into the United States. These airports account for about 94 percent of travelers flying to the United States from these countries. At present there are no direct, non-stop commercial flights from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea to any airport in the United States.
I am announcing that all passengers arriving in the United States whose travel originates in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea will be required to fly into one of the five airports that have the enhanced screening and additional resources in place. We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption. If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.
In Africa, the nation of Rwanda is implementing similar restrictions to travelers from the two countries outside of Africa to have Ebola cases- the United States and Spain.
On their website yesterday, the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda posted the following notice:
“On October 19, the Rwandan Ministry of Health introduced new Ebola Virus Disease screening requirements. Visitors who have been in the United States or Spain during the last 22 days are now required to report their medical condition — regardless of whether they are experiencing symptoms of Ebola — by telephone by dialing 114 between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. for the duration of their visit to Rwanda (if less than 21 days), or for the first 21 days of their visit to Rwanda. Rwandan authorities continue to deny entry to visitors who traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, or Sierra Leone within the past 22 days.”
The incubation for Ebola Virus Disease is up to 21 days.
Related: Ashoka Mukpo Ebola free: Nebraska 2, Ebola 0!
Some in the public health community are questioning Rwanda’s use of resources in screening the hypothetical American traveler infected with Ebola. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
Related: Dr. Ron Paul says calls for Ebola travel ban ‘politically motivated’
