CDC announced that beginning Oct. 27, public health authorities will begin active post-arrival monitoring of travelers whose travel originates in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea. Active post-arrival monitoring means that travelers without fever or symptoms of Ebola will be followed up daily by state and local health departments for 21 days from the date of their departure from West Africa. CDC is providing assistance with active post-arrival monitoring to state and local health departments, including information related to travelers arriving in their states, and upon request, technical support, consultation, and funding.

Specifically, state and local authorities will require travelers to report their temperature and the presence or absence of other Ebola symptoms daily. In addition, travelers will receive a CARE (Check And Report Ebola) kit at the airport that contains a tracking log and pictorial description of symptoms, a thermometer, guidance for how to monitor with the thermometer, a wallet card on who to contact if they have symptoms and that they can present to a health care provider, and a health advisory infographic on monitoring health for three weeks. In the event a traveler begins to show symptoms, public health officials will implement an isolation and evaluation plan following appropriate protocols to limit exposure, and direct the individual to a local hospital that has been trained to receive potential Ebola patients.

Six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Georgia), where approximately 70 percent of incoming travelers from West Africa are headed, have already taken steps to plan and implement active post-arrival monitoring. Active post-arrival monitoring will begin in the remaining states in the days following.

For more information, read today’s press release and view the media briefing transcript.