The United States said on Monday it was stepping up precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola, including screening air travelers from areas affected by the outbreak and temporarily suspending visa services.
The measures shared by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) come as the World Health Organization has declared the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a global health emergency.
In a briefing, Satish Pillai, the health agency’s Ebola response manager, told reporters an American in DR Congo had been infected with the virus following exposure to “their work” there.
“The man developed symptoms over the weekend and was tested on Sunday evening,” Pillai said, adding that efforts were underway to take him to Germany for treatment.
The official added that the United States was trying to evacuate six more people for health monitoring.
Pillai said there are about 25 people working in the US field office in DR Congo and that the CDC was fulfilling a request to send an additional senior technical coordinator.
