Key keywords: Ebola screening at JFK Airport, CDC travel health protocols, US port of entry disease surveillance, at-risk international travelers, West Africa Ebola outbreak, viral hemorrhagic fever prevention, cross-border public health safety The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey jointly announced on Wednesday that John F. Kennedy International Airport will roll out targeted Ebola screening procedures for passengers arriving from countries with confirmed ongoing Ebola transmission, starting from next Monday. The move comes after the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of regional concern earlier this month following a surge of Ebola cases in Uganda and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with over 120 confirmed infections and 45 deaths reported as of this week. Under the new protocol, all passengers whose travel history in the past 21 days includes visits to Ebola-affected zones will be routed to a dedicated screening station immediately after clearing customs. Trained public health staff will administer temperature checks, review symptom questionnaires, and provide informational pamphlets outlining Ebola symptoms and steps to take if they feel unwell within the 21-day incubation period. Passengers presenting with fever, fatigue, or other Ebola-like symptoms will be immediately isolated and transferred to nearby specialized medical facilities with experience treating highly infectious diseases for further testing and monitoring. JFK was selected as the first U.S. airport to launch the screening program because it handles approximately 43% of all incoming international passengers traveling to the U.S. from Ebola-affected regions, according to 2024 CDC travel data. Public health officials noted that the screening is strictly targeted at at-risk travelers, and will not impact the regular entry process for passengers arriving from other parts of the world, with expected wait times for eligible travelers adding no more than 15 minutes to their entry process. The last time U.S. airports implemented widespread Ebola screening was during the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, which led to 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. and widespread public concern. CDC officials emphasized that the current measure is a proactive, risk-based step, not a response to any confirmed Ebola case in the U.S. “We are not panicking, we are preparing,” said CDC Director Mandy Cohen during a press briefing. “Ebola is not transmitted through casual contact, and people in the incubation period are not contagious, so the risk to the general U.S. public remains extremely low. This screening program is just an extra layer of protection to catch cases early and prevent any potential community spread.” Officials added that if Ebola transmission continues to spread to other regions, they will roll out similar screening programs at four additional major U.S. entry airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, and Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.