US Officials to rethink the need for extra Ebola screening

http://www.vipspatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ebola3.jpg

Federal health officials said today the US is weighing whether to institute extra screening at US airports where travellers from Ebola-stricken African nations may be arriving, ahead of a White House meeting on the Ebola outbreak. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said ‘discussion is underway right now’ and ‘all options are being looked at.’ The question, Fauci told CNN, is whether ‘the extra level of screening is going to be worth the resources you need to put into it.’

‘There is clear-cut screening going on in the exit end,’ Fauci said, referring to the Ebola-affected countries’ practice of screening outbound passengers before they leave. The current US discussion, he said, centers on ‘what kind of screening you do on the entry end. That’s something that’s on the table now.’  The Ebola outbreak is believed to have killed more than 3,400 people in West Africa and has taken the biggest toll in Liberia.

Dr. Tom Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said officials are looking at all options ‘to see what we can do to increase safety of all Americans.’ Extra screening might include checking travellers to see if they have a fever, then evaluating them further if they do, he said. He said about 40,000 people had come in to the US from African countries over the past six months, including Americans returning from travels there.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to get an update on Ebola outbreak Monday afternoon from his national security team and other senior officials. The Obama administration has said that it won’t shut down flights from affected countries, particularly those in West Africa. Fauci reiterated that such a travel ban could end up spreading the epidemic in those countries, making it harder to get aid in, for instance, and further isolating those nations.

Addressing the White House meeting, Frieden told ‘CBS This Morning,’ ‘We’re going to be covering many aspects and figure out what we can do’ to protect Americans and stop the outbreaks. He added that he was encouraged by ongoing vaccine trials.

Fauci noted that the supply of the experimental drug known as ZMapp, which may have helped American health workers who caught Ebola while working in Liberia, is gone. He said federal officials were helping the drug manufacturer with efforts to boost manufacturing, but that it would be up to two months before any more of the drug is available. Moreover, tests on potential vaccines or treatment drugs need to be done to prove that a drug works.

What is the Ebola incubation period?

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious clinical condition caused by a virus. Also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the virus spreads through close contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Ebola is considered to be a clinical emergency all over the world and hence it is important to be aware of its symptoms and incubation period to prevent health issues. (Read: 8 tips to prevent Ebola infection)

The incubation period of the Ebola virus is 2 – 21 days which means that a person infected with the virus takes around 2 to 21 days to show symptoms of this disease. Although in most cases the symptoms appeared after 8-10 days after being infected with the virus. It is in this period of incubation that the virus attacks the immune system. Read more about What is the Ebola incubation period?

 

Health News, health tipsDiseases & Conditions, Ebola in US, Ebola virus, Health, In the news, Latest Ebola News
US Officials to rethink the need for extra Ebola screening