Colorado airport screeners wait word from CDC, DHS

Airport officials say they take their precaution orders from the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security.

They haven’t heard from those agencies yet, but some are calling for a faster response.

“Right now, I think our scanning systems are probably insufficient,” said Andrew Price Smith, associate professor at Colorado College. He admitted he has concerns about the response, but not necessarily the wide spread about the disease.

“I actually don’t think it’s going to become airborne. There’s no evidence to suggest it will get airborne, more than a million to one. More like a billion to one,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered agents at all U.S. airports to observe travelers for potential signs of Ebola infection.

Customs and border protection agents will also be handing out Ebola fact sheets to travelers.

But a spokesman for Denver International Airport says they have not been notified of specific precautions their staff should take.

A spokesman for Colorado Springs Airport also isn’t aware of any specific policies to implement either. They both wait for directives from Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DIA referred media inquiries to the Colorado state Homeland Security Office, who referred reporters to DHS offices in Texas and in Washington. Spokeswomen there never returned requests for interview.

Smith admitted more skeptical than some about the ultimate containment efforts –

“I don’t expect it to make its way to Colorado Springs, and I don’t expect to see it anytime soon in Colorado,” Smith said.

The World Health Organization is also weighing in, saying the risk to plane passengers is extremely low.