This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/us-influx-of-travelers-from-ebola-stricken-nations-slows/2014/10/20/a96b484c-5890-11e4-8264-deed989ae9a2_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
U.S. influx of travelers from Ebola-stricken nations slows Homeland Security says four Dulles passengers were taken to a local hospital after Ebola screenings
(about 3 hours later)
Fewer than half as many people are flying to the United States from three Ebola-stricken West African nations as once thought, according to data collected during the first five days of enhanced screening for the virus. Four passengers who flew into Dulles International Airport recently were taken to a local hospital after enhanced airport screening alarmed the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
The agency and the CDC provided no details on the hospital visits or whether the passengers were admitted to the hospital. Spokespeople for the two Northern Virginia hospitals closest to the airport said they did not receive the passengers.
“We have no patients,” said Reston Hospital Center nursing supervisor Kim Wilfred.
“I’m not aware of anything like that, and I would be aware,” said Tony Raker at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
The CDC and DHS could not explain the discrepancy.
A person familiar with the screening at Dulles said that a 13-year-old boy and his mother were taken to a hospital last Thursday after the CDC became concerned about their symptoms. The source, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity surrounding Ebola fears, said two other passengers also were taken to a hospital over the weekend. The person was unable to name the hospital, and said that all four passengers apparently were released after further testing at the hospital.
Since enhanced screening began in John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Oct. 11 and at four other airports five days later, 521 passengers who began their travel in Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia have been subject to enhanced screening that includes an Ebola questionnaire and having their temperature taken. Fever is an early symptom of Ebola.
An additional 41 passengers also were subject to screening for unspecified reasons, homeland security said.
The numbers indicated that the number of people arriving from the three Ebola-hit countries has dropped significantly below the 150-per-day estimates of the CDC last week. They suggest that about 80 people are coming into the country daily.
All 562 of them were subjected to temperature taking, and just three showed abnormally high temperatures. Twenty-eight others received additional CDC testing at the five airports.
At JFK, where screening first began, 567 people were screened, two people had high temperatures, 15 people got an advanced screening and none were taken to hospitals.
At Newark International Airport, where enhanced screening began Thursday, 37 had their temperatures taken, none showed a fever, five got additional CDC screening and none were taken to a hospital.
At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, 18 were screened, none had high temperatures or faced CDC screening, and none were taken to a hospital.
At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, 27 received enhanced screening, none had fevers, one got additional CDC screening and no one was taken to a hospital.
At Dulles, 113 were screened, one had a fever, 28 received advanced CDC screening and four were taken to “a local hospital.”
Meanwhile, travelers from those African nations to the United States will now be required to enter the country through one of the five airports with the enhanced screening under restrictions announced Tuesday.Meanwhile, travelers from those African nations to the United States will now be required to enter the country through one of the five airports with the enhanced screening under restrictions announced Tuesday.
The new rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, closes what had been a relatively small gap in the stricter screening measures rolled out earlier this month. The enhanced screening, which includes checking travelers’ temperatures and having them fill out an Ebola-specific questionnaire, targets people who have visited or reside in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone, the nations where the virus has hit hardest, killing more than 4,500 people. The new rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, closes what had been a relatively small gap in the stricter screening measures rolled out earlier this month. The enhanced screening targets people who have visited or reside in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone, the nations where the virus has hit hardest, killing more than 4,500 people.
There are no direct flights to the United States from the three countries. At the outset of the crisis, federal officials said that an average of 150 people arrived in the United States from those countries each day, often landing after changing planes at European hubs such as Brussels or London. An estimated 94 percent of them flew into the five gateway airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Washington Dulles International Airport; O’Hare International Airport in Chicago; Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta; and Newark Liberty International Airport near New York. There are no direct U.S. flights from the three countries. At the outset of the crisis, federal officials said that an average of 150 people arrived in the United States from those countries each day, often landing after changing planes at European hubs such as Brussels or London. An estimated 94 percent of them flew into the five gateway airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Washington Dulles International Airport; O’Hare International Airport in Chicago; Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta; and Newark Liberty International Airport near New York.
But this meant that 6 percent of travelers — or roughly nine people a day, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — would have avoided the measures meant to catch potential Ebola cases before the passengers leave the airport.But this meant that 6 percent of travelers — or roughly nine people a day, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — would have avoided the measures meant to catch potential Ebola cases before the passengers leave the airport.
“We are continually evaluating whether additional restrictions or added screening and precautionary measures are necessary to protect the American people and will act accordingly,” Jeh Johnson, secretary of Homeland Security, said in a statement Tuesday. “We are continually evaluating whether additional restrictions or added screening and precautionary measures are necessary to protect the American people and will act accordingly,” Jeh Johnson, secretary of homeland security, said in a statement Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the number of people traveling to the United States from these countries has plummeted recently. Under the enhanced screening protocol, if the passenger has a fever or responds with a “yes” to any of the questions on a special Ebola questionnaire, the passenger is sent to on-site CDC personnel for the additional assessment.
During the first five days of screening, there were an average of about 80 travelers a day from the three countries, down from the average of 150 that had been expected.
Enhanced screening at JFK — where about 43 percent of the passengers enter — began on Oct. 11, and was implemented five days later at Dulles and airports in Atlanta, Chicago and Newark.
The number of West Africans arriving in the United States has been closely held by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
Neither the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service, which controls the airport screening areas for international passengers, nor the Centers for Disease Control, which has been involved in the process, has been authorized to release data about the number of people screened since all five airports began the process last Thursday.
An official familiar with the situation chuckled when asked whether the White House was controlling the information.
“Yes, there are less people coming in from those countries,” said the official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. “There have been some flight restrictions. There are some carriers that have stopped flying into the area or taking passengers from the area.”
Members of Congress have echoed constituent fears over the handling of passengers from the stricken nations.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), whose district includes Los Angeles International Airport, said Monday that she had heard from airport police officers, flight attendants, nurses and others. She said she wanted to meet with airport and federal officials to discuss screening procedures .
Two Republican leaders — House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), the ranking member of the Senate Transportation Committee — last week called for a ban on travelers from the three countries.
“With Ebola spreading even within the hospital setting, we should not delay in taking additional measures to prevent individuals carrying the virus from traveling to the U.S.,” they said in joint statement. “We believe a temporary travel ban for such individuals who live in or have traveled from certain West African countries is reasonable and timely.”
The information on JFK passenger traffic came out last Thursday when CBP Assistant Commissioner John P. Wagner testified before a congressional committee.
Wagner said 155 passengers arriving at JFK had been identified as coming from one of the three countries and put through the enhanced screening process. He said 13 other passengers also were subjected to the screening after questioning during the standard CBP interview process.
Eight of the passengers were sent to CDC personnel at JFK for a public health assessment. All of the passengers — a total of 168 — were released after the screening.
Under the enhanced screening protocol, a passenger’s temperature is taken. Fever is an early symptom of Ebola. If the passenger has a fever or responds with a “yes” to any of the questions on a special Ebola questionnaire, the passenger is sent to on-site CDC personnel for the additional assessment.
A traveler viewed as at risk is referred to public health authorities.A traveler viewed as at risk is referred to public health authorities.