CDC Mobilizes Staff for Airport Ebola Screenings Amid DRC Outbreak The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an urgent call for its workforce to assist with Ebola screening efforts at U.S. airports, as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda escalates. Acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya sent an internal email to staff requesting additional personnel, including public health advisors, emergency management specialists, and licensed medical providers, to conduct health checks on travelers arriving from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. The move follows the CDC’s temporary ban on entry for non-U.S. citizens who had visited these regions within the past 21 days. New York’s JFK International Airport has been added to the list of designated screening locations, joining Dulles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Staff at these airports will monitor passengers for symptoms such as fever, refer suspected cases for further evaluation, and support containment efforts. The CDC’s initiative comes as the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the outbreak is spreading faster than responders can control, risking becoming the deadliest on record. The IRC highlighted that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, responsible for the current outbreak, is particularly challenging to detect and has a fatality rate ranging from 30% to 50% in past cases. Unlike other strains, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo variant, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).#world_health_organization #cdc #democratic_republic_of_congo #dr_jay_bhattacharya #international_rescue_committee
U.S. Health Officials Expand Hantavirus Monitoring to 41 People U.S. health officials have expanded their monitoring efforts for hantavirus to include 41 individuals, up from the initial 18 passengers linked to a Dutch cruise ship outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that 16 additional people across the country are now being tracked for symptoms, though the agency did not specify their locations or details about their exposure. These new cases involve individuals who were passengers on an April 25 flight to Johannesburg and had contact with a Dutch woman infected with hantavirus, who later died. The CDC’s response leader, Dr. David Fitter, clarified that the 16 newly added individuals were not part of the cruise ship group but had been exposed to the infected woman during the flight. The woman, a 69-year-old Dutch national, was among those who disembarked from the cruise ship on April 24 in St. Helena, an Atlantic island. She returned to the U.S. via commercial flights on April 25 and was monitored by state health departments. However, she collapsed shortly after arriving in Johannesburg on April 26 and died on May 4, after her hantavirus infection was confirmed. The CDC emphasized that no confirmed cases of hantavirus have been reported in the U.S. as of Thursday. The agency is actively contacting all individuals potentially exposed to the virus, both within the country and abroad, to ensure they are monitored. Dr. Fitter stated that the CDC’s focus is on tracking anyone who might have been on the flight the infected woman took, highlighting the agency’s commitment to thorough contact tracing. The 18 passengers from the cruise ship who were brought back to the U.S. on Monday are currently quarantining at specialized facilities in Omaha and Atlanta.#cdc #david_fitter #dr_jay_bhattacharya #st_helena #hantavirus
