CDC: Post-arrival monitoring to begin for travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea

Beginning Monday, travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea arriving at one of five airports will undergo "active post-arrival monitoring," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. That means that even those travelers without fever or symptoms consistent with Ebola will be followed up daily by state and local health departments for 21 days from the date of their departure from West Africa.

The CDC said six states -- New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia -- have already taken steps to implement the monitoring.

The agency said that state and local authorities will require travelers to report daily their temperature and the presence or absence of other Ebola symptoms such as headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite or abnormal bleeding, as well as their intent to travel in-state or out-of-state.

"In the event a traveler does not report in, state or local public health officials will take immediate steps to locate the individual to ensure that active monitoring continues on a daily basis," the CDC said.

Travelers will also receive an Ebola kit at the airport -- Kennedy, Washington Dulles, Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare or Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta -- that contains a tracking log and pictorial description of symptoms, a thermometer, guidance for how to monitor with thermometer, and a wallet card on whom to contact if they have symptoms and that they can present to a health care provider.