Travel restrictions have been intensified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after France reported its first confirmed case of Ebola this week, linked to the ongoing outbreak.
The DRC has instituted a 21-day quarantine for individuals returning from Ebola-affected regions before they are permitted to travel internationally. This measure applies to anyone identified as a contact of a confirmed or suspected Ebola case. During the quarantine period, all travel, both domestic and international, is prohibited unless explicitly authorized by health authorities.
The outbreak is currently driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which carries a mortality rate of up to 50 percent and for which there is no vaccine or established treatment. According to government data released Wednesday, the outbreak has resulted in 1,118 cases and 291 deaths, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record, as noted by the CDC.
France's confirmed case involves a humanitarian doctor who traveled on a commercial flight from Kinshasa. Although asymptomatic at the time of boarding, the individual became ill during the flight. The patient is reported to be in stable condition and has been isolated to prevent further transmission. Officials have stated that the risk to the wider European population remains low, but contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential exposures.
This is not the first instance of the virus being treated in Europe; an American doctor who contracted Ebola in the DRC was previously treated in Germany last month. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on May 17, the same day Rwanda closed its border with the DRC. The American embassy in the DRC has advised against travel to Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, citing limited emergency services.
In the United States, the CDC has issued a Level 3 travel advisory for the DRC, recommending that Americans reconsider nonessential travel to the country. No Ebola cases associated with this outbreak have been identified in the U.S. Last month, U.S. officials implemented travel restrictions for individuals arriving from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. Passengers arriving from these countries within the last 21 days are required to enter the U.S. through specific airports—John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport—for enhanced screening.
This outbreak marks the 17th in the DRC since the virus was discovered in 1976, though it is only the third caused by the Bundibugyo strain. Previous outbreaks of this strain occurred in 2007 and 2012. More recent outbreaks in the DRC in 2018 and 2020 each led to over 1,000 deaths. The largest Ebola outbreak on record took place from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa, with more than 28,600 reported cases.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, as well as contact with contaminated objects or infected animals such as bats or primates. Symptoms typically include fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.