So what's the point? NYC Ebola patient PASSED new 'enhanced screening' at JFK Airport – only to fall victim days later

• Dr. Craig Spencer returned from Guinea on Oct. 17
• The CDC's 'enhanced screening' protocols didn't flag him as a disease carrier because he had no Ebola symptoms
• 'He went through multiple layers of screening and did not have a fever or other symptoms of illness,' the CDC tweeted 
• He spiked a 103-degree fever six days later and landed in New York City's Bellevue Hospital
• Critics are slamming the CDC and the Obama administration for letting west African travelers into the country while requiring airport screening that can't identify patients

By David Martosko, Us Political Editor for MailOnline

Published: 08:57 EST, 24 October 2014 | Updated: 09:09 EST, 24 October 2014

Craig Spencer, the doctor whose confirmed Ebola diagnosis sent New York City into a tailspin on Thursday, successfully cleared the U.S. government's newest 'enhanced' screening protocols when he returned to the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Spencer, who was in the nation of Guinea treating Ebola patients as part of Doctors Without Borders, passed inspection six days before showing symptoms and checking himself into Bellevue Hospital where he remains in isolation.

'The healthcare worker had returned through JFK Airport on Oct. 17 and participated in the enhanced screening for all returning travelers from these countries' affected by the virus, the agency said in a statement.

'He went through multiple layers of screening and did not have a fever or other symptoms of illness.'

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO 

Outrage: The CDC admitted Thursday that its latest screening program missed the latest US Ebola patient

Hot-blooded? Arriving international passengers at JFK Airport who have been in an Ebola hot-zone country now have their temperatures taken and answer some health questions before being cleared to enter the U.S.

Dr. Craig Spencer, fresh from work in Guinea with the aid group Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), was diagnosed with Ebola in New York City on Thursday – despite successfully navigating the CDC's 'enhanced screening' protocol at JFK Airport

The CDC's acknowledgement brought angry catcalls on Twitter Thursday night as Americans grasped the reality that the deadly viral epidemic was still alive in the U.S. despite the Obama administration's latest policy shifts.

'Well then,' read one reply, 'it appears your 'advanced screening' is a load of bull***t. Another failure by CDC.'

The agency moved quickly to try to quell online concerns, but the effort met with little success.

Spencer, the CDC tweeted, 'didn't have fever or other symptoms of illness during screening; reported fever to health officials for 1st time today.'

'So basically,' came a tweeted retort, 'screen[ing] process doesn't work to detect Ebola carriers ... Sheesh.' 

The CDC announced Thursday that New York airline passengers who began their journeys in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea and arrive at JFK or Newark Liberty Airport will soon be subject to 'post-arrival monitoring' by state and local health departments for 21 days.

That policy, however, isn't slated to go into effect until October 27.

With an incubation period of 21 days – some health authorities put it yesterday at 42 days – Ebola has proved a tricky pathogen to spot in patients who don't suffer from fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms.

As more cases are identified that slip through the CDC's screening system, the chorus of demands for banning travel to the U.S. from affected countries will grow louder. 

The agency has been under fire since the first U.S. Ebola diagnosis was made on September 30.

CDC Director Thomas Frieden insisted early on that the risk of additional transmitted cases was low, but two nurses who treated that first patient fell ill with the disease.

One, Amber Vinson, was permitted to fly from Texas to Ohio and back despite having a mild fever. Public panic after her case was publicized forced the closure of schools, shops and university offices in Ohio.

How did it happen? Spencer was pictured in full hazmat gear in western Africa, but could have contracted the disease in his off-hours while mingling with Guinean civilians

NYPD bin protective wear after leaving ebola danger zone

Critics say the CDC's screening is meaningless since it can't identify Ebola carriers who are incubating the disease and have not yet shown symptoms

Americans have lost confidence in the CDC's ability to contain Ebola, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll released Thursday. 

Most disapprove of President Obama's handling of the outbreak, and just 1 in 5 say the CDC has handled the disease well so far.

Only 3 in 10 trust public health officials to share complete and accurate information about the virus. 

Eighteen percent have 'deep confidence' that their own local hospitals could safely treat a patient with Ebola.

'Americans are worried about ... the steps we are taking to contain Ebola,' California Rep. Darrell Issa said Friday morning on Capitol Hill.

Issa was speaking at the beginning of a hearing convened by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which he chairs.

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