CDC asks staff to volunteer to help with Ebola screenings at airports amid DRC outbreak

Key Points:

• The CDC has issued an urgent internal request to recruit staff for screening passengers arriving from Central Africa for Ebola symptoms at three major U.S. airports, following travel restrictions on non-U.S. citizens recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan.
• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda is spreading rapidly, including into major cities like Goma and Kampala, with over 900 suspected cases and 223 deaths reported, and healthcare workers lacking sufficient protective equipment.
• The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is harder to detect with standard tests and has no approved vaccines or treatments, raising concerns about wider transmission and increased fatality rates of 30-50%.
• The IRC calls for urgent international action, including increased funding, a UN emergency coordinator, faster medical import approvals, community outreach, and special protection for women and girls, amid weakened health systems due to conflict and aid cuts.
• WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, warning it will worsen before improving, while multiple countries have imposed travel restrictions and enhanced screening protocols.