The United States announced on Monday that it would step up preventive measures to prevent the spread of Ebola, including screening air travelers from outbreak areas and temporarily suspending visa services.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the public health measures as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo an international health emergency.
Satish Pillai, the health agency’s Ebola response incident manager, told reporters at a briefing that an American contracted the virus “as a result of his work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
“The person developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late on Sunday,” Pillay said, adding that efforts were underway to transport the person to Germany for treatment.
The official added that the United States was trying to evacuate six more people for health monitoring.
Pillay said the U.S. office in the Democratic Republic of Congo has about 25 employees, and the CDC is fulfilling a request for an additional senior technical coordinator.
“Currently, the CDC assesses the immediate risk to the American public to be low, but we will continue to evaluate the evolving situation and may adjust public health measures as more information becomes available,” the health agency said in a statement.
In addition to screening at airports, the CDC said entry restrictions will be in place for non-U.S. passport holders if they have traveled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan in the past 21 days.
The U.S. Embassy in Kampala said it has temporarily suspended all visa services and affected applicants have been notified.
There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the strains responsible for the spread of highly contagious hemorrhagic fever.
According to the latest data released by Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba on Sunday, the current surge in confirmed cases is suspected to have resulted in 91 deaths.
About 350 suspected cases have been reported. Most of those affected are between the ages of 20 and 39, and more than 60% of them are women.
The United States under President Donald Trump formally withdrew from the World Health Organization this year.
In recent days, U.S. officials have sidestepped questions about how the administration’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was key to previous Ebola outbreaks, would impact current efforts to monitor and manage the spread of the virus.
CDC officials emphasized that they are working with international partners and health officials in affected countries.
The public health measures announced Monday will include continued “deployment of CDC personnel to support outbreak containment efforts in affected areas,” as well as assistance with contact tracing and laboratory testing, the agency said.
