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The
U.S. Response to SARS: Role of CDC's Division of Global Migration and
Quarantine
January 20, 2004, 5:00 PM ET
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CDC's Division
of Global Migration and Quarantine works with federal agencies,
state and local health departments, the travel industry, and other
organizations to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases
into the United States. CDC has eight fully staffed quarantine stations
that are part of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS).
Quarantine
inspectors serve as important guardians of health at borders and ports
of entry into the United States , routinely responding to illnesses
in arriving passengers and ensuring that the appropriate medical and/or
procedural actions are taken. During the 2003 global outbreak of severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), CDC's quarantine officials played
an important role.
Quarantine
officials (or their designees) carried out the following activities
during the 2003 response to SARS:
- Provided
information to returning air travelers arriving in the United States
directly or indirectly from areas
with SARS. CDC updated information on its website on the travel
status of other areas with SARS as the situation evolved. This same
information was provided via the major shipping associations and
the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) to persons traveling
on cargo ships and cruise ships.
- Distributed health
alert notices to air travelers, advising them that they may
have been exposed to cases of SARS and that they should monitor
their health for at least 10 days and contact their physicians
if they become ill with a fever accompanied by a cough or difficulty
in breathing. They were also reminded to tell the healthcare provider
about the SARS-like symptoms before going to the provider's office
so that arrangements could be made, if necessary, to prevent transmission
to others in the healthcare setting.
- Boarded
airplanes with travelers reported to be ill to assess whether their
symptoms matched the SARS
case definition.
- Facilitated
transport of ill passengers to hospitals or other medical treatment
facilities.
- Provided
timely updates to government agencies partnering in these activities,
as well as to travel industry organizations.
- Worked
with CDC's SARS investigation team and local and state health departments
to assist in the investigation of possible cases of SARS.
For a list
of CDC's quarantine stations, visit the DQ Quarantine
Stations page.
For more
information, visit the website of the Division
of Global Migration and Quarantine.
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for the content of Web pages found at these links. Links to nonfederal
organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links
do not indicate an endorsement of these organizations by CDC or the federal
government.
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