Ebola Outbreak Terrifies the World as US Launches Airport Screening

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). On Tuesday (19 May), the WHO said the Ebola outbreak in the two African countries is spreading rapidly. Dr. Anne Ancia, the WHO representative in the DRC, said there are more than 500 suspected cases, including 130 deaths, but only 30 cases have been officially confirmed. In response to the outbreak, the United States said it would begin screening passengers arriving from affected areas at airports. The move comes after an American citizen was confirmed to have Ebola on Monday (18 May). Citing the Guardian, officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the patient was being evacuated to Germany. He had shown symptoms and tested positive on Sunday night, according to Satish K Pillai, the incident manager for the Ebola response at the CDC, in a press conference. There are also six others currently being evacuated to be monitored closely, Pillai added. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic patients, not through the air. This means the disease is relatively easy to contain. The incubation period can vary from 2 to 21 days.