YT&Twebzine
CDC announces plans to monitor travelers
In 1793, faced with an epidemic of yellow fever in Philadelphia, Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence and a much respected medical doctor, recommended that all who could should “quit the city.”

     Amid widespread public fear that those infected with Ebola will do just that – leave their home countries and travel -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  announced on Oct. 22 that health officials will monitor anyone whose journey originated in countries at the epicenter of the epidemic, specifically, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.   
     As of Oct. 19, the World Health Organization reported a total of 9,936 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola in five countries -- Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Spain and the U.S. -- and two previously affected countries (Nigeria and Senegal). A total of 4,877 deaths have been reported.
     In the U.S., health screenings by Customs and Border Protection and the CDC are already underway for travelers arriving at five airports. 
     But under the new plan, state and local officials will maintain daily contact with travelers from the three African countries for 21 days, “the longest time it can take from the time a person is infected with Ebola until that person has symptoms of Ebola,” according to the CDC.  
     Here is how the monitoring program will work:

      Related:

      4 reasons Ebola has been underestimated

      Ebola: History's latest plague upon our houses    

      5 things to know about the Ebola virus

      Cartoon Truth: Yellow Fever in Philadelphia