Ebola screening procedures have been stepped up in the United States, with efforts already being intensified at the Kennedy international Airport in New York City. Passengers that arrived at the airport on Saturday coming from three of the affected West African countries had their temperatures taken as an early precautionary measure could help prevent the importation of Ebola into the country. These entry screenings will soon be expanded to four other US airports including Washington's Dulles, New Jersey's Newark Liberty, Chicago's O'Hare, and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson as early as next week and, according to federal health officials, this expansion will provide an added layer of protection against the virus.
According to the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Global Migration and Quarantine division, Dr. Martin Cetron, "Already there are 100% of the travelers leaving the three infected countries that are being screened on exit. Sometimes, multiple times, temperatures are checked along that process. No matter how many procedures are put into place, we can't get the risk to zero."
Customs officials from the airport say that there are about 150 people each day who are traveling from Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone and into the United States. The added that the port of entry for nearly 95% of these people is often in one of these five airports.
To conduct the screening, public-health workers are using thermometers that do not require physical contact. Those who are found to be running a fever are interviewed in order to find out if they had been in contact with anyone infected with the Ebola virus previously. During the entire process, health officials are ready in case any false alarms are triggered. Representatives say that fever can be triggered by other illnesses aside from Ebola. Quarantine areas within the airport has been set up and can be used whenever necessary.
