In spite of Ebola having been brought to the United States by an immigrant and the head of U.S. Southern Command expressing dire concern that an Ebola outbreak in Central America could flood the Southwestern United States with refugees, there is no mention of the Ebola outbreak on the website for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
The only mention of Ebola at all is a press release from July 15 that announced a voodoo necklace and ‘good luck’ skull were confiscated at Washington Dulles International Airport and subsequently destroyed as health risks.
“Primate Teeth Necklace
“A traveler from the African nation of Gabon arrived June 18 with a necklace made of mandrill teeth. A mandrill is a primate closely related to the baboon. The passenger claimed to be a voodoo priest and he said he used the necklace for spiritual rituals. In consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a decision was made July 3 to destroy the necklace due to the possible introduction of Ebola, HIV, monkey pox or other viruses or diseases.
“On May 22, CBP officers discovered a primate skull in the baggage of a traveler from Russia. The skull was not cleaned, and it was topped by feathers that also were not cleaned. The passenger claimed she purchased the skull in Togo and that skull was a token of “good luck.” In consultation with CDC and USFWS, a decision was made June 25 to destroy the skull for the same reason as the primate teeth necklace. The contaminated feathers also presented an avian disease risk as well.“The travelers in these two incidents failed to declare their prohibited products to CBP during their inspections.”
