U.S. Implements Airport Screenings and Visa Pause for Ebola Outbreak

The United States announced Monday that it will screen air travelers arriving from areas affected by an Ebola outbreak and temporarily suspend visa services for those regions. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo an international health emergency.

Satish Pillai, the CDC's Ebola response incident manager, said one American had contracted the virus after exposure related to work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The person developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, Pillai said.

The CDC is working to transport the individual to Germany for treatment and to evacuate six additional people for health monitoring. U.S. field office in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the agency is sending an additional senior technical coordinator.

U.S. public as low but will continue to evaluate the situation.

U.S. passport holders who traveled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or South Sudan within the past 21 days. U.S. embassy in Kampala said it had temporarily paused all visa services. U.S. State Department said it had mobilized $13 million in aid for immediate response efforts.

CDC officials said they are collaborating with international partners and health officials in affected countries, including deployment of personnel for outbreak containment, contact tracing, and laboratory testing. Ninety-one reported deaths are suspected to have been caused by the current surge, according to figures released Sunday by Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba.

Around 350 suspected cases have been reported.