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06Oct22

CDC issues Ebola alert for clinicians, officials announce airport screening

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged clinicians to consider Ebola and other viral hemorrhagic fever illness in the workup of people who have symptoms of the diseases and to immediately take a travel history with an eye toward identifying those who have been in parts of Uganda affected by the recent Ebola Sudan outbreak.

In a Health Alert Network (HAN) notice, the CDC said no suspected, probable, or confirmed cases have been reported in the United States. It said Uganda's outbreak is limited to five districts in the central part of the country, with none confirmed from Kampala or the travel hub city of Entebbe. The CDC added that there are no direct flights to the United States from Uganda, but travelers from or passing through affected parts of Uganda can enter the United States on flights from other countries.

Early consideration of Ebola is important for providing prompt patient care and preventing virus spread, the CDC said. On Twitter today, Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said CDC staff are on the ground in Uganda supporting the outbreak response.

The CDC said the outbreak is occurring in the same location as Uganda's last outbreak involving the Sudan strain in 2012. So far, 44 lab-confirmed cases have been reported. The number of deaths in confirmed patients is 10. There are 18 probable cases, based on earlier reports, and 20 probable deaths.

Also, the US government today announced that all US-bound passengers who have been in Uganda during the past 21 days will need to be routed through one of five airports for enhanced screening. The locations are Newark, Atlanta, Chicago, or Washington, DC. In a statement, the US Embassy in Uganda said government it was taking the step out of an abundance of caution and that the domestic risk is low. In the early days of the COVID pandemic, the government took similar steps to funnel people from high-risk country to certain airports for enhanced screening.

[Source: By Lisa Schnirring, CIDRAP News, University of Minnesota, 06Oct22]
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