The US will begin redirecting travelers from Uganda to five airports to screen for Ebola, as the East African country grapples with an outbreak of a strain of virus for which there is no approved vaccine.
The notice is not a travel ban or suspension on those coming from Uganda, but is being put in place out of an abundance of caution, according to a senior administration official who asked not to be named as the matter has not yet been made public. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised Uganda’s travel alert level, urging travelers to avoid non-essential travel to the country.
US health officials believe the current level of risk is low for Ebola spreading in the US, but also plan to alert clinicians and hospitals to be on the lookout for possible cases. A call with thousands of US health-care providers is also planned for Oct. 11.
The Biden administration is preparing for a surge in cases in Uganda, and believes the current reported number represents a significant undercount, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not be named discussing matters that aren’t public.
Sudan Strain
The first case in the outbreak caused by the Sudan strain of Ebola, which is less common than the Zaire strain, was found in Uganda in September. Since then, Uganda has reported 63 confirmed and probable cases, with nearly half of the patients succumbing to the illness. The Zaire strain caused more recent outbreaks in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spurring rapid development and approval of a vaccine. The vaccine, called Ervebo, is made by Merck & Co.
However, that vaccine does not work against the Sudan version causing the outbreak in Uganda. Several shots targeting the strain are in various stages of development, and the World Health Organization said Wednesday that two of the vaccines could begin a human trial in Uganda as soon as this month. The proposed trials are undergoing ethics and regulatory approvals from the Ugandan government, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The US government will immediately begin redirecting air travelers from Uganda to JFK International Airport, Washington-Dulles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for Ebola screening. The process will include a temperature check, risk assessment, visual symptom check, and contact information verification. US state and local health departments will follow up with travelers 21 days after leaving Uganda.
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