The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tightening restrictions on travel to the United States in response to a fast‑moving Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, is unfolding in remote parts of the country but has already become the second‑largest Ebola outbreak on record. Despite its scale and speed, health authorities report that no Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been detected in the United States and describe the overall risk to the American public and travelers as low.
Cases linked to the current outbreak have been confirmed in DRC’s Haut‑Uele, Ituri, Nord‑Kivu (North Kivu), Sud‑Kivu (South Kivu), and Tshopo provinces, marking the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak. South Kivu has reported no confirmed cases since late May, suggesting transmission there may have slowed. Beyond DRC’s borders, Uganda’s health ministry has reported a limited number of confirmed and probable cases, including several deaths, with the last case confirmed in late June, and cases related to the DRC outbreak have also been identified in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
CDC officials say the outbreak is proving harder to control than previous Ebola emergencies because it is unfolding against a backdrop of limited health infrastructure and ongoing conflict. Many affected communities have restricted access to basic healthcare, diagnostic and laboratory services, and infection‑prevention supplies, weakening efforts to isolate and treat patients. Security problems, including violence against healthcare workers, as well as shortages of personal protective equipment, are leaving responders vulnerable to infection and complicating crucial public‑health measures such as contact tracing.
Frequent population movement within the region and cross‑border travel are increasing the risk that Ebola could spread to other countries, especially Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda. At the same time, local distrust of government and the spread of misinformation are making it harder for health teams to communicate about the disease and to secure cooperation with containment efforts. These combined pressures are contributing to the outbreak’s unusually rapid growth; the current emergency surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases in just 40 days after the formal response was activated, compared with roughly eight months for a major DRC outbreak in 2018 to cross a similar threshold.
To reduce the risk that Ebola is imported into the United States, the U.S. government has temporarily restricted entry for travelers who were recently in DRC. Passengers, including American citizens, who have been in DRC within 21 days of their flight are barred from boarding commercial flights with U.S. destinations, a policy that applies even to those who only transit through the country or remain on the aircraft during an intermediate stop. U.S. citizens and nationals who have been in DRC are being told to remain outside the country for 21 days before attempting to enter the United States.
The CDC has also imposed additional conditions on travel from Uganda and South Sudan. U.S. citizens and nationals who have been present in either country—without having been in DRC—within 21 days of arrival in the United States must enter only through designated airports, where they will undergo enhanced screening. These measures build on an earlier CDC order under federal public‑health regulations that continued temporary entry restrictions for certain categories of travelers after time spent in DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, underscoring the agency’s effort to keep Ebola from reaching U.S. soil.
Alongside these entry rules, CDC has updated its travel advisories for the region. The agency now recommends avoiding all travel to Ituri and Nord‑Kivu provinces in DRC and avoiding nonessential travel to Haut‑Uele and Tshopo, reflecting the intensity of transmission in these areas. Travelers heading to other parts of DRC or to Uganda are urged to take enhanced precautions to prevent Ebola exposure and to monitor themselves for possible symptoms while abroad and for 21 days after leaving the affected region.
Nearly 500 CDC staff are currently engaged in the Ebola response, with more than 120 deployed to affected countries to support local ministries of health. The agency has published guidance for people returning from outbreak‑affected areas, including DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, covering what steps to take if they feel ill after travel. Officials say that the combination of strengthened international response, domestic infection‑control measures and targeted travel restrictions is designed to keep a fast‑moving outbreak contained, even as case counts in central Africa remain in flux.