On alert for Ebola: public health risk assessment of travellers from Uganda to the U.S. during the 2022 outbreak.

BACKGROUND

On September 20, 2022, the Ugandan Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Sudan ebolavirus.

METHODS

From October 6, 2022, through January 10, 2023, CDC staff conducted public health assessments at five U.S. ports of entry for travellers identified as having been in Uganda in the previous 21 days. CDC also recommended that state, local and territorial health departments ('health departments') conduct post-arrival monitoring of these travellers. CDC provided traveller contact information daily to 58 health departments and collected health department data regarding monitoring outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 11 583 travellers screened, 132 (1%) required additional assessment due to potential exposures or symptoms of concern. Fifty-three (91%) health departments reported receiving traveller data from CDC for 10 114 (87%) travellers, of whom 8499 (84%) were contacted for monitoring, 1547 (15%) could not be contacted, and 68 (1%) had no reported outcomes. No travellers with high-risk exposures or Ebola disease were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Entry risk assessment and post-arrival monitoring of travellers are resource-intensive activities which had low demonstrated yield during this and previous outbreaks. The efficiency of future responses could be improved by incorporating an assessment of risk of importation of disease, accounting for individual travellers' potential for exposure, and expanded use of methods that reduce burden to federal agencies, health departments, and travellers.

Informations de copyright

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society of Travel Medicine 2024.