US restricts arrivals from Ebola-hitrestricts arrivals from Ebola-hit countries through Dulles
The United States said on May 21 that Americans returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan must enter through Washington Dulles for enhanced Ebola screening.
The Department of Homeland Security also announced flight arrival restrictions tied to the outbreak, which matters because the virus is spreading in parts of central and east Africa and raises the risk of imported cases.
- Ebola was first identified near a river in what is now the DRC in 1976.
- Airport screening is often used to slow importation, but it cannot detect infections during the virus’s incubation period.
- The DRC has reported more Ebola outbreaks than any other country.
