The Department of Homeland Security announced new travel restrictions as an expanding Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa has prompted heightened concern among global health officials.
Under the new rules, all civilian flights carrying passengers who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days must land at Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced health screening before travelers continue into the United States.
The policy applies to flights departing after 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday and excludes military flights overseen by the Pentagon, cargo-only operations, and flight crews.
Federal officials said Washington Dulles was selected because it receives the largest share of travelers arriving from the affected region.
The move follows a rapidly evolving Ebola outbreak centered in eastern Congo that has spread into neighboring Uganda and raised fears of broader regional transmission. (RELATED: WHO Issues Global Warning As Americans Linked To Ebola Exposure)
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday there are nearly 600 suspected Ebola cases and 139 suspected deaths connected to the outbreak. At least 51 cases have been confirmed so far.
Health officials say infections have appeared in several urban centers in eastern Congo, including the cities of Goma and Bunia. Uganda has also reported confirmed infections, including two cases in the capital city of Kampala and one death linked to the outbreak.
While South Sudan has not confirmed any Ebola cases, DHS said the nation remains a high-risk area because of its porous borders, population movement, and limited healthcare infrastructure.
The outbreak marks the DRC’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak and was officially confirmed by the country’s health ministry on May 15 after first emerging in the northeastern Ituri province.
The World Health Organization declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday — one step below the agency’s highest pandemic-level alert.
After convening an emergency committee this week, WHO officials concluded the outbreak does not currently meet the threshold for a global pandemic designation.
Health authorities believe the outbreak may have been circulating undetected for several months before it was formally identified.
“Our priority is really to cut the transmission chain,” WHO technical officer Anais Legand said Wednesday, citing contact tracing efforts, patient isolation, and treatment measures.
The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola — a relatively rare variant for which no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently exist. Previous outbreaks involving the strain have produced fatality rates ranging from roughly 30% to 50%.
The CDC, however, says genetic analysis indicates the virus closely resembles strains seen during earlier outbreaks in 2007 and 2012, meaning existing diagnostic tools can identify infections.
Federal health officials continue to stress that the risk to Americans remains low.
“The risk to the U.S. general public remains low,” CDC Ebola response manager Dr. Satish K. Pillai said.
The agency has activated emergency response operations and deployed technical experts to affected areas in Congo and Uganda.
The U.S. has already tightened entry requirements. Earlier this week, the CDC barred non-U.S. passport holders who had recently traveled through the affected countries from entering the United States.
American citizens and lawful permanent residents can still enter, but they will be routed through Dulles for enhanced screening conducted by the CDC and Customs and Border Protection.
The travel restrictions were highlighted Wednesday after a flight headed to Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from Congo reportedly boarded “in error,” according to CBP. Air France later said there had been no medical emergency onboard and that the passenger exited the aircraft before the flight continued to Detroit.
Adding to concern, WHO officials confirmed that an American doctor working in Congo, Dr. Peter Stafford, contracted Ebola and has since been transferred to Germany for treatment. According to his missionary organization, he has been receiving monoclonal antibody therapy and is responding positively.
READ NEXT: Sikh Man Claims He Fatally Stabbed Teenager Over ‘Racial Attack’
