US Begins Screening Travelers from Uganda for Ebola

The United States began screening air travelers with recent travel to Uganda on Friday in response to the ongoing outbreak of the Sudan strain of Ebola virus in that country. As of Oct. 7, all travelers who were in Uganda within 21 days of their travel to the U.S. will be rerouted through one of five designated airports for advanced health screening. The screening applies to all passengers, including U.S. citizens.

To this date, cases have only been confirmed in Uganda. There have been no suspected, probable or confirmed cases of Ebola in the U.S., and the risk of Ebola domestically is currently low. 

As an additional precaution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory through the CDC Health Alert Network on Oct. 6 to alert public health departments, public health laboratories and health care workers to the current outbreak.

The alert emphasized the currently limited geographic scope of the outbreak but urged clinicians to obtain a detailed travel history from patients with suspected cases of Ebola or viral hemorrhagic fever, especially those that have been in affected areas of Uganda.

CDC has not classified the current outbreak as “widespread transmission,” and blood donor screening for Ebola is not recommended at this time. AABB will continue to monitor CDC communications regarding the outbreak and update the community as necessary.

Members may contact regulatory@aabb.org with questions.