The United States has introduced stricter health measures to prevent the spread of Ebola following the worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The new precautions include enhanced airport screening for travellers arriving from affected countries and temporary restrictions on visa services in some regions.
The measures were announced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC a global health emergency.
Speaking during a briefing, CDC Ebola response manager, Satish Pillai, confirmed that an American citizen working in the DRC had contracted the virus after exposure connected to official duties in the country.
“The person developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday,” Pillai said.
He added that plans were already in place to move the infected individual to Germany for specialised treatment.
Pillai also revealed that six additional people were being evacuated by US authorities for medical observation and monitoring.
According to him, about 25 CDC officials are currently operating from the agency’s field office in the DRC, while efforts are ongoing to deploy a senior technical coordinator to strengthen response operations on ground.
Despite the outbreak, the CDC maintained that the immediate risk to the American public remains low for now.
“At this time, CDC assesses the immediate risk to the general US public as low, but we will continue to evaluate the evolving situation and may adjust public health measures as additional information becomes available,” the agency stated.
As part of the new directives, the CDC announced temporary entry restrictions for non-US citizens who recently travelled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or South Sudan within the last 21 days.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Kampala confirmed the temporary suspension of visa services, adding that affected applicants had already been informed.
Reacting to the outbreak, US President Donald Trump said he was concerned about the situation but noted that the virus currently remains limited to Africa.
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has continued to raise global concerns as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus across the region.
