New
York’s JFK airport is to start screening to try to stem the Ebola outbreak that
has killed more than 4,000 people.
Passengers
from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – the worst-hit countries – will have
their temperatures taken and have to answer a series of questions.
Checks at
O’Hare in Chicago, Newark, Washington’s Dulles and Atlanta’s airport will begin
in the coming days. Continue........
This
comes after the first person died of Ebola in Texas on Wednesday.
Thomas
Duncan had traveled to the US from Liberia, and was only diagnosed with the
disease once he arrived in Dallas.
The
latest figures released by the World Health Organization show the number of
deaths attributed to the the haemorrhagic fever has risen to 4,033.
The vast
majority of the fatalities – 4,024 – were in the West African nations of
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The
screening measures at JFK are starting on Saturday, with border agents checking
for signs of illness such as high temperatures.
New York’s
authorities say the city is “particularly well prepared”.
Passengers
from the three African nations will also be asked about their travel details
before leaving for the US and also if they have been in contact with anyone
suffering from Ebola.
If they answer
“Yes” to any questions or are running a fever, a representative of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will intervene and provide a public
health assessment.
Factsheets
will be distributed to travelers with information on symptoms of Ebola and
instructions to call a doctor if they become ill within three weeks.
There are
currently no scheduled direct flights from the three countries to the US, with
most passengers from Africa travelling via Europe.
All
passengers traveling from airports in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are
already being screened for symptoms when they depart.
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