EBOLA VIRUS IN DR CONGO: CDC NOT READY TO ISSUE TRAVEL ADVISORY
BY JESSICA FIRGER
NewsWeek.com
5/19/17
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still mulling over whether to issue a travel advisory regarding the developing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When asked whether the agency planned to recommend restricting travel to the country and surrounding regions, a spokesperson from the CDC told Newsweek “not at this point.”
The agency says several factors are considered when deciding on the timing of a travel advisory, “including the size of the outbreak and number of people infected. As we learn more that will guide the decision to issue an advisory or not,” the CDC spokesperson added. “It comes down to risk/threat assessment and so far risk does not warrant advisory.”
So far there are 29 suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola in the DR Congo, and at least three confirmed deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Earlier this week there were rumors as well that one suspected case of the virus cropped up in South Sudan at the border of DR Congo. On Friday, WHO confirmed through lab testing that there are no cases of Ebola outside the DR Congo.
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