Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled 2026 Ebola Passenger Disclosure and Attestation. The purpose of this information collection is to ensure that, consistent with the terms of a pending Order under the Public Health Service Act, public health authorities in the United States can confirm that individuals have not been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the 21 days before arriving in the United States.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 206 (Tuesday, October 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67580-67582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21831]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-27-0306; Docket No. CDC-2026-1750]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project 
titled 2026 Ebola Passenger Disclosure and Attestation. The purpose of 
this information collection is to ensure that, consistent with the 
terms of a pending Order under the Public Health Service Act, public 
health authorities in the United States can confirm that individuals 
have not been present in the Democratic Republic

[[Page 67581]]

of the Congo (DRC) in the 21 days before arriving in the United States.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before December 28, 
2026.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2026-
1750 by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570; 
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ddb2b0bf9dbeb9bef3bab2ab"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="214e4c43614245420f464e57">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    2026 Ebola Passenger Disclosure and Attestation--New--National 
Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National 
Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division 
of Global Migration Health (DGMH) requests an emergency approval for a 
New information collection. Section 361 of the Public Health Service 
(PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 264) authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to make and enforce regulations necessary to prevent the 
introduction, transmission or spread of communicable diseases from 
foreign countries into the United States. Under its delegated 
authority, DGMH works to fulfill this responsibility through a variety 
of activities, including the administration of foreign quarantine 
regulations; 42 Code of Federal Regulation part 71, specifically 42 CFR 
71.20 Public health prevention measures to detect communicable disease.
    On May 17, 2026, an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo 
virus was detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and 
Uganda. On May 20, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
published Arrival Restrictions Applicable to Flights Carrying Persons 
Who Have Recently Traveled From or Were Otherwise Present Within the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan. 
Airlines are instructed to redirect flights carrying persons who have 
recently traveled from or were otherwise present within DRC, Uganda, 
and South Sudan in the previous 21 days to specific ports of entry.
    CDC within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued 
an Order on May 18, 2026, to suspend entry into the United States of 
foreign nationals who were physically present in the Democratic 
Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days. 
The Order was amended on May 22, 2026. An Order continuing the 
suspension of the right to introduce specified foreign nationals into 
the United States was issued on June 21, 2026, on July 13, 2026, on 
August 12, 2026, September 11, 2026, and most recently on October 11, 
2026. Additionally, on July 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland 
Security, in consultation with CDC, began restricting air travel for 
all travelers, including U.S. citizens and U.S. nationals, who had been 
in DRC in the past 21 days.
    This information collection accompanies the Notice and Order 
requiring that any traveler arriving in the United States from a 
foreign country submit an attestation confirming they have not been 
present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the past 21 
days before arrival in the United States. Passengers must complete the 
attestation as instructed by the airline before being allowed to board 
a flight to the United States as a public health prevention measure to 
mitigate the potential spread of a confirmed ongoing outbreak of Ebola 
virus disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
    CDC requests OMB approval for an estimated 22,550,200 annual burden 
hours.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
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Traveler......................  CDC Ebola            135,300,000               1            5/60      11,275,000
                                 Attestation.
Airline staff.................  CDC Ebola            135,300,000               1            5/60      11,275,000
                                 Attestation.
Traveler......................  Exemption                    100               1               2             200
                                 Request (no
                                 form).
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[[Page 67582]]

 
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............      22,550,200
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2026-21831 Filed 10-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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