US walls itself off from Ebola: Beefed up travel ban, no citizen repatriation - Ars Technica

Overview

US walls itself off from Ebola: Beefed up travel ban, no citizen repatriationvar abtest_2156559 = new ABTest(2156559, 'click');

Trump official asked CDC staff to volunteer to screen travelers at airports.

Details

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread wildly, outpacing the international response efforts sprinting to catch up to the deadly Bundibugyo virus strain. The outbreak was first announced May 15 and is already the third largest recorded. The World Health Organization’s latest numbers as of May 24 are 1,018 cases (906 suspected, 112 confirmed) with 234 deaths (223 suspected, 11 confirmed). But these are known to be a significant undercount of the true spread and are also likely out of date by now.

The WHO and other national health agencies are calling for international support and collaboration to bring the outbreak under control. But it appears that the US is instead choosing to try to wall itself off—even to its own citizens and lawful residents.

On Friday, the Trump administration announced it was escalating its controversial travel ban, now barring even lawful permanent residents (green card holders) from entering the country if they have traveled to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days prior. The move is in addition to already barring non-US passport holders with such a travel history. Notably, Uganda has only reported seven cases and one death in the outbreak; there have been no reported cases in South Sudan.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to beef up airport screening for Ebola. But the agency, which lacks a director and other high-ranking leaders, has been ravaged by deep staffing and budget cuts, political interference, and organizational upheaval from the Trump administration. As such, it’s having trouble finding the personnel to carry out the airport screens. Jay Bhattacharya, the Trump official overseeing the agency for now, resorted to sending an email to CDC staff asking them to volunteer for the task, which involves taking travelers’ temperatures and asking them questions. Volunteers can be from any pay grade, Bhattacharya noted in his email.

Also on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is planning to continue blocking American citizens from being repatriated if they have been exposed to the virus or infected amid the outbreak. According to the report, the US is working to instead set up a quarantine and treatment facility in Kenya. In past Ebola outbreaks, citizens have been repatriated to the US, which Trump had criticized.

Already, two American doctors working as Christian missionaries in the DRC have been sent elsewhere for care. Dr. Peter Stafford, age 39, has fallen critically ill with Ebola. But instead of being repatriated to the US—which has several specially designed facilities to provide high-quality care for Ebola patients—Stafford is being cared for in Germany. His Ebola-exposed wife and four children are also being monitored in Germany. Dr. Patrick La Rochelle, who served with the same religious organization, was exposed to the virus but remains asymptomatic. He was sent to the Czech Republic, not the US, for monitoring.

The plans to send exposed Americans to Kenya are not yet finalized and require signoff from Kenyan officials, the Journal noted. But some members of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service branch under the Department of Health and Human Services, have gotten notices to deploy to Kenya.

Public health experts have consistently criticized travel restrictions and border closures, noting that they are not helpful during outbreak responses and can be harmful. As Africa CDC said in response to the US policy: “Generalized travel restrictions and border closures are not the solution to outbreaks. Such measures can create fear, damage economies, discourage transparency, complicate humanitarian and health operations, and divert movement toward informal and unmonitored routes – potentially increasing public health risks rather than reducing them.”

While the US seems focused on physically separating itself from the virus, it also appears to be distancing itself from the outbreak response. The Trump administration withdrew the US from WHO last year, severing the country from international public health data and collaboration while also ending its dues payments and other financial contributions to the United Nations health agency. The loss of funding has hobbled WHO, which was forced to reduce staff and programs. According to CNN on Tuesday, the Trump administration has also restricted US scientists from interacting with WHO counterparts, even amid two high-profile outbreaks requiring multinational coordination, the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship and the Ebola outbreak.

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Key Takeaways

• US walls itself off from Ebola: Beefed up travel ban, no citizen repatriationvar abtest_2156559 = new ABTest(2156559, 'click');

• Trump official asked CDC staff to volunteer to screen travelers at airports

• The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread wildly, outpacing the international response efforts sprinting to catch up to the deadly Bundibugyo virus strain

• The WHO and other national health agencies are calling for international support and collaboration to bring the outbreak under control

• On Friday, the Trump administration announced it was escalating its controversial travel ban, now barring even lawful permanent residents (green card holders) from entering the country if they have traveled to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the 21 days prior