Active Monitoring of Travelers Arriving from Ebola-Affected Countries - New York City, October 2014-April 2015

The Ebola virus disease (Ebola) outbreak in West Africa has claimed approximately 11,300 lives, and the magnitude and course of the epidemic prompted many non-affected countries to prepare for Ebola cases imported from affected countries. In Oct 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated guidance for monitoring persons with potential Ebola virus exposure, including recommending daily monitoring of such persons to ascertain the presence of fever or symptoms for a period of 21 days after the last potential exposure; this was termed "active monitoring." Direct active monitoring required direct observation of the person being monitored by the local health authority at least once daily. Here, Millman et al describe the operational structure of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's active monitoring program during its first 6 months (Oct 2014-Apr 2015) of operation.