People entering the United States from the Ebola-hit nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone will undergo "active monitoring" for signs of the deadly virus for 21 days, health authorities say.
"We have to keep up our guard against Ebola," said the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden on Wednesday.
The "new program of active monitoring of every person coming back to the country" applies to those whose travel originated in the three West African nations facing the world's largest Ebola epidemic, he told reporters.
Travellers concerned, most of whom are US citizens or longtime US legal residents, will be asked to carry out daily self-checks for fever and provide contact details of friends or family in case follow-up is needed, he said.
The system aims to "further protect Americans against Ebola" by monitoring travellers for the entirety of the virus's 21-day incubation period, Frieden said.
The program will be rolled out from Monday, beginning in six states -- New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Georgia -- where 70 per cent of incoming travellers are located.
In the coming days, the program is to be extended to all 50 states, and local and state health departments will be closely involved in setting it up, Frieden said.
People traveling into the US from the affected West African countries will receive a "care kit" that includes a tracking log, instructions for monitoring temperature, and pictorial description of symptoms, Frieden said.
About 150 people per day enter the United States after traveling from West Africa, according to CDC and border officials.
Ebola is still spreading in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, where more than 4800 people have been killed by the virus since the beginning of the year.
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