Ebola Screenings Begin At O'Hare

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security began new Ebola-related entry controls on May 18 after outbreaks in East and Central Africa, but Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is not currently the site of the enhanced screening that some early reports suggested. Federal documents and statements reviewed this week show the U.S. response has two parts: a 30-day restriction on some non-U.S. travelers and added health screening for certain arrivals. The measures were announced as the CDC said the immediate risk to the general U.S. public remains low. The agency also said no U.S. cases tied to the current outbreak have been confirmed inside the United States. ### Is O’Hare actually screening arriving passengers for Ebola? Chicago’s O’Hare was named in the CDC’s May 18 statement as one of the airports tied to the federal response, but local reporting based on government documents says enhanced Ebola screening is not now being carried out there. CBS News Chicago reported that a DHS memo scheduled for publication Thursday directs commercial flights carrying people who traveled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan to land at Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced screening. (cdc.gov) The Illinois Department of Public Health told NBC Chicago that travelers bound for O’Hare from outbreak-affected countries are being funneled through Dulles for screening. The Chicago Department of Public Health separately told CBS News Chicago that O’Hare’s CDC Port Health Station continues routine infectious-disease surveillance, but “at the moment there is no enhanced screening being conducted for Ebola.” (cdc.gov) ### Who is affected by the new U.S. restrictions? The CDC’s May 18 order applies to “covered aliens” who departed from, or were otherwise present in, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan during the previous 21 days. The order suspends their right to enter the United States for 30 days while federal agencies conduct what the CDC called a broader public-health risk assessment. (cbsnews.com) The CDC said the order does not amount to a blanket shutdown of all travel. U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents and members of the armed forces are excluded from the non-citizen entry restriction, according to NBC Chicago’s account of the order and the CDC materials. Authorization to travel also does not guarantee admission: CBP says admissibility is determined by its officers when travelers arrive in the United States. (cdc.gov) ### What is driving the federal response now? The CDC said on May 20 that it is monitoring Ebola outbreaks in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. As of May 19, the DRC and Uganda health ministries had reported 536 suspected cases, 105 probable cases, 34 confirmed cases and 134 suspected deaths, according to the CDC’s situation page. The same CDC update said an American exposed while caring for patients in the DRC tested positive for Ebola Bundibugyo disease on May 17 and was transported to Germany for treatment. (nbcchicago.com) The agency said no additional cases in Americans had been reported. ### Why did the government single out these countries and this virus? The CDC said the current order is aimed at Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. (cdc.gov) The agency’s situation page says Bundibugyo virus is one of four orthoebolaviruses that cause Ebola disease in people, and that there is no vaccine for Bundibugyo virus. The order also covers travelers with recent presence in South Sudan. The CDC said the affected airports and travel corridors were identified because they support continuing movement between Central and East Africa and major U.S. metropolitan centers, creating challenges for spotting potentially infected travelers before arrival. ### What should travelers and the public watch next? (cdc.gov) The CDC said the order took effect immediately on May 18 and will remain in place for 30 days unless changed. The agency said more information about enhanced travel security measures is forthcoming and urged people who traveled through affected countries to monitor CDC travel health notices and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms within 21 days of travel. (cdc.gov) Washington Dulles is the airport to watch for the operational side of the policy, based on the DHS memo described by CBS News Chicago and the Illinois state guidance cited by NBC Chicago. The CDC’s Ebola situation page, updated May 20, is the federal source for the next case-count revisions and any change in the U.S. risk assessment. (cbsnews.com) (cdc.gov)