HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We’re starting to learn more about the Ebola health screenings that federal officers said will start Tuesday at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
On Friday, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced it would funnel travelers who visited certain African countries connected with the deadly Ebola outbreak. One of the three airports would be IAH in Houston.
Federal officials said the passengers would be required to go through health screenings at those airports. CBP said the impacted passengers are those who visited, or flew through, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda within the last three weeks.
A current Ebola strain that the World Health Organization said has more than 900 suspected cases, and 200 deaths in Africa.
Over the weekend, Judge Linda Hidalgo shared more information about what the IAH screenings would look like. “When someone flies into our airport from these countries, or even if they’re coming from a layover, they’re screened for a fever, asked a series of questions,” Hidalgo explained.
Here’s what Hidalgo said happens next. If someone doesn’t have a fever or show symptoms, they’re allowed to travel.
They’re supposed to share contact information. Hidalgo said they’re asked to check their temperature, and county health officials may even make at-home visits.
If a passenger has a fever or symptoms, Hidalgo said they’re brought to one of two hospitals in Houston, where they’ll be isolated. She didn’t say which hospitals those are.
Federal officials said if they test positive for Ebola, they’ll notify passengers from their flight as well. Just flying with or being near someone with Ebola, health experts said, isn’t a concern.
“Ebola is not like COVID,” UTHealth Houston/Memorial Hermann Chief of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Luis Ostrosky, said. “It’s not airborne. It’s not thought to transmit before you’re symptomatic.”
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.