CDC seeks employee volunteers for Ebola screening after staff cuts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent an "urgent request" to its employees seeking volunteers to help screen passengers arriving from Congo and Uganda for signs of Ebola, according to an internal email shared by a U.S. Health and Human Services official with USA TODAY.

The email, sent by acting CDC Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on May 26, said staff from “across job series and pay grades” were sought, including public health advisers, emergency management specialists and licensed medical providers.

For CDC employees who volunteer, responsibilities will include observing arriving international travelers for signs of illness, checking travelers’ temperatures for fever and referring ill travelers to CDC Port Health Station staff for further assessment.

The request comes as the Trump administration's sweeping cuts in the federal workforce have reduced the agency's staff by nearly 30% since last year.

On May 22, HHS issued a directive temporarily preventing lawful permanent residents who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the last 21 days from entering the United States.

There is no Food and Drug Administration-licensed or authorized vaccine yet for the current Ebola outbreak, caused by Bundibugyo virus. Presently, seven Americans are being monitored for the infectious disease, according to a CDC official.

Only one of them, a missionary doctor, tested positive for Ebola. The patient, who was diagnosed on May 17 in Congo, was transported to Germany for treatment.

As of May 26, no Ebola cases associated with the current outbreak have been reported in the United States, and the risk to the general public remains low.

Meanwhile, Congo has had a total of 105 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths, and Uganda has had 7 confirmed cases and 1 confirmed death.

American officials have expanded the airports that can screen passengers who have been in the African region in recent weeks but are allowed to enter the United States. Those include airports in Atlanta and Houston, Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya

Meanwhile, the U.S. will be opening a quarantine facility in ​Kenya for Americans, a White House official told USA TODAY.

“Time is of the essence for Ebola patients, and this facility will enable Americans in the region who contract Ebola to receive lifesaving care as quickly as possible without 12-plus hours of medevac flight time,” the official said.