The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded mandatory Ebola screening to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, effective Saturday. The airport was chosen due to its prior experience in passenger screening and established operational procedures.
This follows the designation of Washington Dulles International Airport earlier this week as the first screening site for returning citizens. The Department of Homeland Security stated that all flights carrying passengers who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days will be diverted to Dulles.
The CDC's broader Ebola approach includes overseas exit screening, airline illness reporting, and post-arrival public health monitoring. The World Health Organisation reports 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths in the DRC, along with 177 suspected deaths and nearly 750 suspected cases linked to the Bundibugyo strain, which has an average fatality rate of about 40 percent.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration banned non-citizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan from entering the US. Additionally, US border officials forced an Air France flight to divert to Canada after a passenger from the DRC was discovered onboard in error.
Ebola spreads person-to-person through bodily fluids and can cause life-threatening symptoms. A former CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, warned that the outbreak could become a major regional pandemic, potentially spreading to Tanzania, South Sudan, and Rwanda.
