U.S restricts flights from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan amid Ebola outbreak
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday new travel restrictions affecting passengers arriving in the United States who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, as an Ebola outbreak continues to spread in the region.
Under the new policy, all commercial flights departing after 11:59 p.m. ET that carry passengers who have been in any of the three countries within the past 21 days will be required to land at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Officials said enhanced public health screening measures will be implemented there. Flights operated by the Pentagon are exempt from the order.
The restrictions come as health officials monitor an ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo that has resulted in 139 suspected deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases, according to updates from the World Health Organization. At least 51 cases have been confirmed, with infections reported in multiple urban areas, including Goma and Bunia, as well as in Kampala, Uganda, where at least two cases and one death have been recorded. Health workers are also among those affected.
Authorities in South Sudan have not confirmed any cases but have been flagged as high risk due to its proximity to affected regions, cross-border movement, and limited healthcare infrastructure.
The outbreak was first identified in Congo’s Ituri province, with official confirmation from health authorities on May 15. It marks the country’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak.
The World Health Organization has declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern and convened an emergency committee, which determined the outbreak does not currently meet the threshold for a pandemic classification. Officials said investigations are ongoing and the outbreak may have begun months earlier than first detected.
Health experts say the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant for which no approved vaccines or treatments are available, and which requires specialized diagnostic methods. Previous outbreaks of this strain have had fatality rates between 30% and 50%.
Among those infected is an American physician who contracted the virus while working in Congo and has since been evacuated to a hospital in Berlin, where he is reportedly responding to treatment.
U.S. health officials have also activated emergency response operations and deployed technical teams to affected regions. They continue to emphasize that the risk to the general public in the United States remains low.
In addition to the new flight restrictions, authorities have already imposed entry limits on certain foreign nationals who have recently traveled through the affected countries.
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