“This is another step to protect families, communities and healthcare workers from Ebola,” Frieden said. “We're tightening the process and establishing active monitoring for every traveler who returns to this country after a visit to one of the three affected countries, and that includes CDC employees, journalists and all individuals who have been there within 21 days.”
Frieden said monitoring would initially focus on those six states because they were the destinations for 70% of travelers from the affected Ebola countries who arrive in the U.S. Earlier this month, the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security began conducting entry screenings at five major airports of passengers coming from Ebola-affected countries.
All travelers from the Ebola-affected countries will be required to arrive in the U.S. through one of the five designated airports.
The new program would ask travelers to self-report their conditions to state and local health officials daily, which includes taking temperatures twice a day and informing personnel if they begin to develop symptoms.
Additionally, all monitored travelers will receive a “care kit” that will include a tracking log, a description of symptoms, a thermometer and guidance on how to monitor temperature. Also, travelers will get a colored card to present to healthcare providers if they become ill, as well as contact information in case they develop symptoms.
Frieden did not provide an update on the sick passenger who was taken to the hospital after arriving in Newark, N.J., from Brussels Tuesday night. Reports Wednesday stated that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that an evaluation has shown that the patient is “asymptomatic” for Ebola.
Two travelers from Liberia, meanwhile, are being monitored at Chicago hospitals after becoming sick on flights into the city's O'Hare International Airport.
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