US to check Chinese travelers following disease outbreak
This is the first time the CDC has implemented enhanced screenings since the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
By RACHEL WOLFFILE PHOTO: International travelers arrive at John F. Kennedy international airport in New York City, U.S., February 4, 2017. The United States is screening visitors from Wuhan, China at JFK and at airports in Los Angeles and San Francisco for people who may have symptoms of a new virus(photo credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID/FILE PHOTO)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced a joint effort on Friday aimed at preventing the spread of a new disease from Wuhan, China.The advanced health screenings will impact those traveling to the US from Wuhan through direct and connecting flights, according to the CDC’s press release. The new measure was taken after infected travelers from Wuhan infected people in Thailand and Japan. The majority of those infected caught the disease from animals; according to CNN, the virus does not spread easily from person to person.Approximately a hundred CDC employees will be deployed to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to assist current employees. The CDC says that the risk for Americans of getting the disease, called 2019-nCoV, is low, but the organization is choosing to take “proactive preparedness precautions.”According to CNN, last year more than 60,000 people flew to the US from Wuhan, which is 700 miles south of Beijing – mostly to JFK, SFO and LAX. In January, travel to the US from China decreases ahead of the Lunar New Year.Speaking to CNN, Dr. Martin Cetron, Director of CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, said that the flu presented a “much bigger” threat to Americans than 2019-nCoV. “This is not a time for people to freak out and be overly concerned," he told CNN. "This is a time for vigilance and awareness."“China health officials report that most of the patients infected with 2019-nCoV have had exposure to a large market where live animals were present, suggesting this is a novel virus that has jumped the species barrier to infect people,” the CDC wrote in the press release.The World Health Organization (WHO) said that Japan and Thailand confirmed the cases of 2019-nCoV and that, “considering global travel patterns, additional cases in other countries are likely.”This is the first time the CDC has implemented enhanced screenings since the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Certon told CNN, adding that, "I've been here since 1996, and that's the only other time we've ever done this – for Ebola.”The center also released a guide for those traveling for China’s Lunar New Year, explaining how to avoid the disease and what to do if infected.“People who travel to visit friends or relatives are at higher risk for some diseases... because they generally stay longer than tourists, eat local food in people’s homes, and may not take the same precautions that tourists do,” the CDC warns.
“Travelers to Wuhan should avoid animals (alive or dead), animal markets, and products that come from animals (such as uncooked meat)," the CDC wrote. "They should also avoid contact with sick people.”
