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The CDC rolled out a 30-day entry ban on Monday, blocking non-US passport holders who’ve been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the last three weeks, citing the growing Ebola outbreak.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, the World Health Organization formally declared the rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern” on Sunday following the explosion of suspected cases and deaths across at least three health zones in the DRC’s northeastern Ituri province. The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola (the third such outbreak of this strain in history, following one in Uganda in 2007-2008 and one in the DRC in 2012). The strain has no approved vaccine or specific therapeutic treatment, carries a fatality rate of between 25 and 50 percent depending on the source, and is generally managed only through supportive care. As of now, there are 500 suspected cases with 131 people dead.
What’s going on now: The CDC’s new entry ban applies to all foreign passport holders who have been in Uganda, the DRC, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, with exceptions carved out for US citizens, permanent residents, members of the US Army, and any individuals specifically exempted by the Department of Homeland Security. The agency will simultaneously be enhancing health screening and traveler monitoring at US airports and ports of entry, coordinating with airlines and international partners to identify any potentially exposed travelers, and continuing to deploy CDC personnel to the affected regions to help with outbreak containment.
The agency framed the overall risk to the American public as currently low. “At this time, CDC assesses the immediate risk to the general US public as low, but we will continue to evaluate the evolving situation and may adjust public health measures as additional information becomes available.”
The CDC also confirmed Monday that an American physician working in the outbreak zone has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain and is being evacuated to Germany for treatment alongside six other Americans who have been exposed to the virus. The international Christian mission organization Serge separately identified the infected doctor as Peter Stafford, a physician who has been working at a hospital in Bunia in northeastern DRC since 2023.
