WHO Declares Ebola Public Health Emergency as CDC Bans Non-US Entry After DRC, Uganda Outbreak

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern," as the outbreak is confirmed to be the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention head told the BBC that "At least 100 deaths have been reported" and that more than 390 cases were suspected, while Reuters reported the first known Ebola patient died April 24 and the outbreak wasn’t declared until May 15.

ABC News

The WHO said "Unusual clusters of community deaths with symptoms compatible with Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) have been reported across several health zones in Ituri," and it also warned that at least four deaths among healthcare workers in a clinical context suggested healthcare-associated transmission.

In the United States, the CDC announced a Title 42 order banning all non-US citizens from entering the country for the next 30 days if they have been in the DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda in the previous three weeks, and it placed travel to the DRC under a Level Four travel advisory.

US health authorities confirmed that an American doctor, Peter Stafford, MD, tested positive for Ebola after being exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in the Congo city of Bunia.

Satish K. Pillai, PhD, an incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response team, said the doctor developed symptoms over the weekend and that "six other Americans are in the process of being evacuated."

ABC News

ABC News reported that Stafford sought testing "after presenting symptoms consistent with the virus," and it said the CDC confirmed the case while not identifying the person in its initial confirmation.

The BBC said the CDC issued a new order blocking foreign travellers from entering the US if they have visited a country affected by the outbreak in the past 21 days, including DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, and it said the risk to the American public remained low.

The CDC and the Department of Homeland Security said they would introduce enhanced public health screening and monitoring for travelers arriving in the US from the region, with US entry restrictions to non-US passport holders enacted if they have been in Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan in the past 21 days.

“Addis Ababa, Ethiopia / Kinshasa, DRC / Kampala, Uganda, 15 May 2026 — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is closely monitoring the confirmed Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the imported Ebola Bundibugyo case reported by the Uganda Ministry of Health”

Africa CDC

The CDC said the measures would last for an initial 30 days, and it advised that anyone who had travelled through the affected countries should monitor CDC travel health notices and seek medical attention immediately if they develop symptoms consistent with Ebola.

Africa CDC said it was closely monitoring the confirmed Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province and an imported Ebola Bundibugyo case reported by Uganda, and it reported that preliminary laboratory results from the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale (INRB) detected Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested with the Bundibugyo Virus.

Africa CDC said it would convene an urgent high-level regional coordination meeting today 16 May 2026 with health authorities from DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, together with the WHO, UNICEF, the Pandemic Fund, African Medicines Agency (AMA), U.S. CDC and other response partners, and it urged communities to avoid direct physical contact with suspected cases and avoid contact with body fluids or contaminated materials.