Which measure did the CDC implement in the United States during the 2015 Ebola outbreak?

Which measure did the CDC implement in the United States during the 2015 Ebola outbreak?

• A. Educated US healthcare workers on isolation/infection prevention
• B. Designated ~55 hospitals as Ebola Treatment Centers
• C. Travelers form Guinea and Sierra Leone actively monitored
• D. Entry screening at five US airports

Answer: (D)

Focusing on preventing illness from entering the country, the CDC implemented entry screening at U.S. ports of entry. This targeted action intercepts potentially symptomatic travelers from affected countries right at arrival, using temperature checks and health questionnaires, followed by a health assessment and guidance for monitoring or medical evaluation as needed. The goal is early detection and rapid public health response, given Ebola’s incubation period and the need to prevent importation and onward spread. Other measures you might hear about—such as educating healthcare workers on isolation and infection prevention, designating Ebola Treatment Centers, or actively monitoring travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—are important parts of the overall response, but the measure that was specifically put in place at U.S. entry points during the outbreak was airport-based screening at the five major airports.

Focusing on preventing illness from entering the country, the CDC implemented entry screening at U.S. ports of entry. This targeted action intercepts potentially symptomatic travelers from affected countries right at arrival, using temperature checks and health questionnaires, followed by a health assessment and guidance for monitoring or medical evaluation as needed. The goal is early detection and rapid public health response, given Ebola’s incubation period and the need to prevent importation and onward spread.

Other measures you might hear about—such as educating healthcare workers on isolation and infection prevention, designating Ebola Treatment Centers, or actively monitoring travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone—are important parts of the overall response, but the measure that was specifically put in place at U.S. entry points during the outbreak was airport-based screening at the five major airports.