State Department Issues Alert for Americans in Ebola-Affected Areas

The U.S. State Department on May 21 said that all U.S. citizens and legal residents who have been in areas affected by the Ebola outbreak in Africa must go through a single airport in the United States when returning to the country.

All Americans and lawful permanent residents who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arriving in the United States “must only enter through Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) for enhanced screening,” the department said in an alert.

Federal authorities with the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will carry out the enhanced screening. CDC officials said that would involve observing travelers for signs of illness and taking their temperatures with thermometers that do not touch the skin, and transferring sick people “reasonably believed to be infected with or exposed to Ebola” to hospitals for assessment.

People should be prepared for flight changes or cancellations due to the development, according to the government.

Dulles is one of three airports serving the District of Columbia and its surrounding regions. Dulles is located in Northern Virginia, about 26 miles from the U.S. Capitol.

An Ebola outbreak centered in Congo has led to more than 600 suspected cases and more than 130 suspected deaths, World Health Organization officials said on May 20. The outbreak has been spreading to new areas in Congo, in Central Africa.

Ebola is a disease caused by orthoebolaviruses. It can cause symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding.

A meta-analysis of studies published on May 20 and covering previous Ebola outbreaks in Africa found a mortality rate of 54 percent.

Most of the cases in the current outbreak so far have been in Congo, although two have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.

An American doctor caring for patients at a hospital in Congo’s Ituri Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, tested positive for Ebola over the weekend and has been flown to Germany for treatment.

“Before I was evacuated I was feeling really concerned I wasn’t going to make it. And now I’m cautiously optimistic,” Dr. Peter Stafford, the doctor, said in a statement released on May 21 by Surge, the Christian organization that Stafford works with.

Stafford’s children and his wife, also a doctor, are with him in a hospital in Berlin, officials said.

The U.S. government said on May 18 that it would not allow people without U.S. passports to enter the United States if they had been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days.

Acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya signed an order that outlined the rationale behind the move as “the serious risk posed by the introduction of Ebola disease into the United States by covered aliens.”

After the order was imposed, the State Department said that visa services were paused and no appointments would be scheduled in Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda.

“This pause includes applications for immigrant visas as well as nonimmigrant visas for tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors, and all other nonimmigrant categories,” the agency stated. “Affected visa applicants have been notified.”

The State Department has also said that Americans should not travel to Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda because of the outbreak and rampant civil unrest.