U.S. bans entry for travelers from Ebola-affected countries

In response to a fast-moving Ebola outbreak, the Trump administration has imposed a U.S. entry ban on foreign travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days, according to a new order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The order comes as confirmation of infection of an American doctor working in the outbreak zone was released. The international Christian missions organization Serge confirmed that Peter Stafford, a physician working at a hospital in Bunia, in northeastern DRC, tested positive for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant. Two other doctors working for the charity, including Stafford’s wife, also had exposure to infected patients, but at present both show no symptoms of infection. As STAT reported Sunday, the U.S. government is looking to extricate a number of Americans who have had exposure to Ebola patients from the affected region, though it is currently unclear where they will be taken for observation and care, if it is needed. The travel order, aimed at preventing the introduction of Ebola cases into the United States, applies to anyone who was in those countries in recent weeks, irrespective of their nationality of origin, with the exception of American citizens and members of the Army, as well as anyone specifically exempted from the ban by the Department of Homeland Security. The order, signed by Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health who is also serving as a top CDC official, is in effect for 30 days. This is the first time the U.S. has imposed a travel ban in response to an Ebola outbreak. In the past, officials have relied on a containment strategy that has included enhanced screening of travelers at ports of entry, as was the case during the 2018-2019 Ebola outbreak during President Trump’s first term. At the time, the CDC coordinated a combination of exit screenings of personnel leaving affected areas and further checks at airports. During the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2015, before he was elected, Trump called for a travel ban that would apply to Americans in the affected regions, too, an approach that was later criticized by Tom Price, who Trump selected to be his health secretary and who said letting international health care workers back in the U.S. is “not only our responsibility … it’s a moral action that must be taken.” But Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases specialist who has worked in Ebola outbreaks and formerly worked for the World Health Organization, said travel bans don’t stop spread of viruses and can actually impede efforts to contain them. “We have repeatedly seen during H1N1, COVID-19, mpox, and the 2014 Ebola outbreak that broad travel bans do little to stop the spread of disease once an outbreak is already underway,” she told STAT. “In many cases, these policies can actually make outbreaks harder to control by disrupting movement of healthcare workers and supplies, fueling stigma, and incentivizing people to avoid authorities or travel through unofficial routes to circumvent restrictions. Viruses exploit weak public health systems — not commercial airline schedules.” Cases of Ebola have been reported in the DRC and Uganda, though the order identifies South Sudan as being at risk of spread given its proximity to the affected countries. Though halting travel from the affected region would reduce the number of high-risk travelers entering the United States, it would not eliminate the risks posed by the presence of these travelers in large transit hubs, the order reads. The virus incubation period is up to 21 days, and potential patients could expose fellow travelers in other global hubs. The order is effective immediately, but it’s been issued with a 30-day comment period to inform future actions.