THE United States has announced stricter measures aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola, including enhanced airport screening for travelers arriving from affected regions and the temporary suspension of visa services in some areas.
The new measures, unveiled by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), follow the World Health Organization’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as an international health emergency.
During a media briefing, CDC Ebola response incident manager Satish Pillai revealed that an American citizen working in the DRC had contracted the virus after exposure linked to their professional duties.
According to him, the individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive on Sunday night.
Arrangements are currently being made to transfer the patient to Germany for treatment.
Pillai also disclosed that the US government is working to evacuate six other individuals for health monitoring as a precautionary measure.
The CDC noted that approximately 25 personnel are currently stationed at its field office in the DRC, adding that another senior technical coordinator would soon be deployed to support containment efforts.
Despite the growing outbreak, the agency stated that the immediate risk to the American public remains low, although officials said the situation continues to be monitored closely.
Alongside airport screening, the CDC announced entry restrictions for non-US citizens who have traveled to Uganda, the DRC, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda, confirmed the temporary suspension of visa services, noting that affected applicants have already been informed.
Health authorities say there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the Ebola strain driving the latest outbreak of the highly infectious hemorrhagic fever.
According to figures released by Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, at least 91 deaths are suspected to be linked to the outbreak, while nearly 350 suspected cases have been recorded.
Most infections involve individuals aged between 20 and 39, with women accounting for more than 60 percent of reported cases.
The outbreak has also renewed scrutiny of the United States’ global health response following President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to formally withdraw the country from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Questions have also been raised over the administration’s cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which previously played a major role in tackling Ebola outbreaks across Africa.
Although CDC officials insist they are collaborating with international partners and health agencies in affected countries, some experts argue that the response has been insufficient.
Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, criticized the administration’s handling of the crisis, describing travel bans as “more theater than effective public health measures.”
He argued that earlier Ebola outbreaks were contained more effectively through coordinated efforts involving USAID, the CDC, and US-funded nonprofit organizations.
Kavanagh added that the current outbreak had already spread significantly, including into Uganda’s capital city, before attracting substantial international attention, warning that the US was now “playing catch-up.”
The US State Department, however, announced that it has released $13 million in emergency aid to support immediate outbreak response operations, including contact tracing, laboratory testing, and deployment of CDC personnel to affected regions.
