Whatcom County traveler among 23 in state being monitored for Ebola after trip to Africa
One Whatcom County traveler is among the 23 in Washington state being monitored for Ebola, according to Whatcom County Health Director Erika Lautenbach.
The travelers recently returned from the West African countries of Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo — where there are outbreaks of the deadly virus — according to a news release from the state’s Department of Health.
Whatcom’s Health Department was notified on Monday, March 22, of a person returning to the county who had traveled to one of the countries experiencing an outbreak of Ebola, Lautenbach said in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
“Staff interviewed the individual and determined that the risk of exposure was very low because the individual did not travel to an affected region and did not have contact with any cases. The individual is monitoring for symptoms for 21 days as instructed by Whatcom County Health Department,” Lautenbach said.
“The likelihood of (Ebola virus disease) in this situation is extremely low,” she said. “Healthcare providers have reviewed existing Ebola response plans and are prepared to respond with immediate isolation if necessary.”
The risk of Ebola coming to the United States remains “extremely low,” according to a news release last month from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention.
Likewise, people in Washington are considered “low risk” for getting the virus, the state health department says.
Local public health officials have been in contact with the people who traveled to the African countries. “They are considered ‘persons under monitoring’ for 21 days after their arrival to the United States,” according to the news release.
The Department of Health did not immediately return a request from McClatchy News for more information about where in Washington the other travelers are from.
The CDC ordered airlines to collect and provide contact information for passengers who were in Guinea or the Democratic Republic of Congo within 21 days before arriving to the U.S., according to the release.
Ebola cases are rare in the United States.
The last confirmed cases in the U.S. came during the 2014-16 epidemic in Africa, when 11 people were treated for the deadly virus in the states. Most of the cases involved people who had contracted the virus outside the U.S., but in 2014 two nurses were infected while caring for an Ebola patient from Liberia in a Dallas hospital.
The man died, but the nurses recovered.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 11:30 AM.
