The CDC is warning clinicians to be on alert for potential Ebola cases in the U.S. and implementing airport screenings amid an outbreak in Uganda.
Clinicians should consider Ebola as a possible diagnosis for patients with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and unexplained bleeding, the agency said in an Oct. 6 health alert.
The CDC said it issued the alert as a precaution and that the U.S. has not identified any suspected or confirmed Ebola cases tied to the outbreak.
CDC Director Rochelle Wallenksy, MD, also ordered airport screenings for all air travelers returning from Uganda, including U.S. citizens. The screenings were expected to start Oct. 6, according to The New York Times.. Additional travel restrictions will take effect next week, a federal official familiar with the plan told the Times.
Uganda officially declared an Ebola outbreak Sept. 20. As of Oct. 6, the country had confirmed 44 cases and 10 deaths. Another 20 deaths and several dozen cases are still under investigation, making it the country's largest Ebola outbreak in nearly two decades.