adminWASHINGTON — US authorities yesterday were to begin enhanced Ebola screenings of travellers from Mali upon arrival in the United States amid fears of a surge in cases in the African country. The special measures are already in place in for travellers arriving from three other West African nations — Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
The US Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, in a joint statement with the Department of Homeland Security, said Mali was being added to the list “because there have been a number of confirmed cases of Ebola” there in recent days.
“A large number of individuals may have been exposed to those cases,” the statement said. “The action is warranted as a precaution due to the possibility that other cases of Ebola may emerge in Mali in the coming days,” the statement said, adding that CDC will continue to reassess the measure.
The United States said there are about 15-20 travellers who depart Mali each day en route to the United States. Officials said travellers entering the United States from Mali also will be subject to the 21-day monitoring and movement protocols already in effect for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, with mandatory twice daily temperature and symptom checks in coordination with state and local public health authorities.
The enhanced Ebola screenings are carried out at five US airports: New York’s JFK and Newark airports, Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago. — AFP.
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