Starting on Tuesday of next week, IAH will be one of three airports in the U.S. where certain passengers will be screened.
HOUSTON — Houston’s Bush Airport has been designated as one of three airports authorized to screen passengers entering the U.S. from certain African countries as the Ebola outbreak spreads.
Bush Airport and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport will join Dulles International Airport as the only entry points for passengers who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the last 21 days.
“This requirement applies to all passengers, including U.S. citizens and LPRs (lawful permanent residents), who were present in those countries,” according to a notice from the U.S. Department of State.
Bush Airport can begin accepting those passengers on flights departing after 10:59 p.m. Houston time on Tuesday, May 26. For Atlanta, the requirement begins for flights departing Friday night, May 22.
Both Houston and Atlanta are host cities for the World Cup, and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s team is expected to have base camps in both cities. The DRC’s first match in Houston is scheduled for June 17.
KHOU 11 has reached out to Bush Airport officials for more information about how the screening process will work in Houston.
Houston preparing for World Cup amid Africa Ebola outbreak
Houston health officials and infectious disease experts are closely monitoring the Ebola outbreak ahead of the World Cup. This outbreak involves a rarer strain of Ebola that doctors say behaves differently from more common forms of the virus.
The concern in Houston stems from the fact that the DR Congo national soccer team is expected to use Houston as its home base during the FIFA World Cup, with players, staff and fans anticipated to spend several weeks in the city.
Dr. John McCullers, dean of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston, said the virus is highly deadly but does not spread easily.
“It’s one of those infectious diseases that’s really, really deadly, but it’s also harder to get because you have to have really direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person,” McCullers said.
Experts emphasized the biggest concern is not necessarily the soccer team itself, but the possibility of infected travelers arriving from affected regions during the tournament.
How does Ebola spread?
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal. During an outbreak more than a decade ago that killed more than 11,000 people, many were infected while washing bodies during community funerals.
“Ebola is very much a disease of compassion in that it impacts the people who are more likely to be taking care of sick folks,” said Dr. Craig Spencer, an associate professor at the Brown University School of Public Health who survived Ebola more than a decade ago after contracting it in Guinea.
What are the symptoms for Ebola?
Ebola causes fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
The severity of the symptoms and the rising caseload were fueling growing panic in Bunia neighborhoods.
Resident Noëla Lumo previously lived in Beni, a region hit by former outbreaks. When she heard about the latest one, she began making protective masks by hand.
“I know the consequences of Ebola—I know what it’s like,” she said.
Are there any treatments for Ebola?
There are no approved medications to treat the Bundibugyo virus or vaccines to prevent it.
From the few outbreaks health experts have seen, Bundibugyo might be slightly less deadly than what is often called Zaire virus, the most common species.
“I think a 30%-plus mortality rate is still quite scary, but it’s hard to say with a lot of precision because we don’t have a lot of experience,” Gounder said.
In the other two Bundibugyo outbreaks, initial cases were identified early, Ksiazek said, allowing for a quick public health response: getting healthcare workers proper protective equipment, finding and isolating people who were exposed and offering supportive medical care to patients.
Proper medical care “reduces mortality significantly,” he said.
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