The United States has strengthened airport screenings to prevent the Ebola virus and has banned non-citizens from three countries from entering the country

The United States has announced strengthened preventive measures to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, including screening air passengers from areas affected by the outbreak, and temporarily suspending visa services. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States said that a US citizen tested positive after being exposed to the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

AFP reported that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday (May 18th) that non-citizens who had visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the past 21 days would be prohibited from entering the country. This is one of the measures taken to prevent the Ebola epidemic.

According to the latest information released on the website of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this policy, issued under the federal public health law, will remain in effect for 30 days. It includes "strengthening travel screening, entry restrictions and public health measures" to prevent the virus from entering the United States.

When the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the new public health measures, the World Health Organization (WHO) had already declared that the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

According to Bloomberg, the Christian missionary organization Serge Global's website issued a statement on the 18th saying that Dr. Peter Stafford contracted the Ebola virus while treating patients at the Nyangundu Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The other two doctors in his team, including his wife, currently have no symptoms.

The Ebola response manager of the US Centers for Disease Control, Pyle, said during a press conference that an American had contracted the Ebola virus after coming into contact with it during his work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This person developed symptoms over the weekend. The test result on Sunday night was positive. They are currently arranging to send him to Germany for treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States is also attempting to evacuate another six people for health testing.

The US Embassy in Kampala (the capital of Uganda) has announced that it has suspended all visa services and has informed the affected applicants.

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said that the new round of Ebola outbreak in the eastern province of Ituri, Congo (DRC), is still spreading. So far, 116 suspected cases have died and 435 suspected cases are under observation and treatment. Relevant laboratory tests and epidemiological investigations are still ongoing.

According to the latest data released by the health minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the 17th, among the reported deaths, 91 cases are suspected to be caused by this round of the Ebola epidemic. Approximately 350 suspected cases have been reported. The majority of the infected individuals are between the ages of 20 and 39, and over 60% of them are female.

US President Trump has made it official for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization this year.

At present, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for the Ebola virus.