Update: Current recommendations for Ebola travel screening

Message Details
Date Sent: 12/01/2015 03:05 PM EST
Sender: Michigan Health Alert Network
Subject: Update: Current recommendations for Ebola travel screening

Message:

At this time, the CDC continues to recommend screening every patient presenting at all outpatient and ambulatory care settings for travel in the last 21 days, to a country with widespread Ebola transmission, or contact with someone with confirmed Ebola virus. Guinea is the only West African country remaining in the CDC category "widespread transmission" of Ebola. Travelers from Guinea and Sierra Leone are still routed through the five identified United States ports of entry and are given a CARE kit. Depending on the assessed epidemiologic risk, travelers from Guinea will continue to be subject to Active or Direct Active Monitoring, facilitated by local public health. Travelers from Sierra Leone are directed to self-monitor for 21 days and report any illness to local public health. Guinea is currently in the watch and wait phase, their last case had a second negative blood test on 11/10/15. If no additional cases are diagnosed, Guinea will be declared Ebola Free on 12/29/2015.

When Guinea is declared Ebola Free, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will recommend that healthcare providers gather travel history from all patients presenting with infectious etiologies during initial evaluation. For example, "For your safety and the protection of yourself and others, have you recently traveled or been exposed to others who may be infectious or have a communicable condition" could be used during triage. Until Guinea is declared Ebola-free, MDHHS will continue to recommend following CDC guidance for screening of all patients at all points of entry to any healthcare setting.
Please contact the MDHHS Communicable Disease Division at 517-335-8165 with any questions.