U.S. Imposes Flight Restrictions Over Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced new arrival restrictions for flights carrying people who were recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan amid the Ebola outbreak in the region. m. ET on Wednesday carrying passengers that were in the named nations within 21 days of attempted entry into the U.S. will be ordered to land at Washington-Dulles Airport in Virginia, the notice said, where enhanced public health measures are being implemented.

The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo had caused 139 suspected deaths with nearly 600 suspected cases as of Wednesday. At least 51 cases have so far been confirmed in the ongoing outbreak. The outbreak was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern province of Ituri, with cases officially confirmed by the health ministry on May 15.

It marked the 17th outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics. Case fatality rates for previous Bundibugyo outbreaks have ranged from 30% to 50%. Among the confirmed cases is an American doctor who contracted the disease while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The doctor was flown out of the country and is now hospitalized in Berlin's Charité University Hospital. The doctor has been receiving monoclonal antibodies during his hospitalization and is responding quickly, according to the executive director of the Christian missionary group the doctor works for.

Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center through its country offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The agency is deploying technical experts that have been requested from Atlanta headquarters. The risk to the U.S. general public remains low, a CDC official said.