The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday announced new travel measures for those coming to the United States from countries affected by an Ebola outbreak.
Starting next week, passengers traveling from Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be diverted to six US airports so that the CDC can track and monitor them.
Airlines will collect and forward passenger information to CDC for follow-up and public health intervention for all passengers boarding a flight to the US who were in the DRC or Guinea for the past 21 days, ”the announcement said.
Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo have experienced multiple Ebola outbreaks over the years, killing thousands of people in previous outbreaks.
The United States has seen no more Ebola cases since 2015, and officials said they do not believe the latest outbreak poses a threat to the country.
To spread Ebola, a person must have direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a person who has the virus. As long as a person is not traveling to an outbreak area, the CDC says the risk for a person is low of getting the virus.
However, as a precautionary measure, the CDC said passengers from the two countries currently facing outbreaks will have their contact information verified and shared with state and local health authorities.
The agency issued level three health warnings this week Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which means that there should be no non-essential travel to the countries.
The Ebola outbreak in Guinea started in a rural area of the country in mid-February, while the Democratic Republic of Congo saw the outbreak begin earlier this month.
Currently there are nine reported cases in Guinea with five dead. According to the World Health Organization, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen eight confirmed cases and four deaths in the latest outbreak.
The latest Ebola outbreaks come as the world struggles to get the coronavirus under control, with the disease affecting millions of people around the world since early last year.