{"id":1595,"date":"2026-05-21T18:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T18:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/21\/ebola-us-ban-on-travellers-from-drc-uganda-or-south-sudan-not-the-solution\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T18:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T18:39:54","slug":"ebola-us-ban-on-travellers-from-drc-uganda-or-south-sudan-not-the-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1595","title":{"rendered":"Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan \u2018not the solution\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"aaddcf00-02d5-4635-baae-04669f822a82\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Red Cross workers in full protective equipment including head coverings, visors, face masks and long bright red rubber gloves stand outside a low-rise white building with a green stripe of paint around the bottom.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/49583dee91b5a91b99d9699dfd099e58da815fbb\/0_0_4193_3355\/master\/4193.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.06653947054616\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Red Cross workers gather to disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province.<\/span> Photograph: Gradel Muyisa Mumbere\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"aaddcf00-02d5-4635-baae-04669f822a82\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Red Cross workers gather to disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province.<\/span> Photograph: Gradel Muyisa Mumbere\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan \u2018not the solution\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Africa CDC says restrictions could increase public health risks and highlight \u2018deeper structural injustice\u2019 in global health<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A US travel ban for people coming from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/congo\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a>, Uganda or South Sudan in response to the Ebola outbreak could make the situation worse, critics have said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday and continues to spread, with a new case reported in the DRC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/healthcare-pharmaceuticals\/suspected-ebola-cases-reported-rebel-held-congo-area-2026-05-21\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">South Kivu province<\/a>, an area under the control of armed rebel groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The American <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/us-ebola-virus-congo-uganda\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">travel ban<\/a>, which applies to non-US passport holders who have been in any of the three countries in the past 21 days, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/football\/2026\/may\/20\/drc-cancel-world-cup-training-camp-ebola-outbreak\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">caused disruption<\/a> to the DRC men\u2019s football team\u2019s World Cup preparations. It also caused a flight to Detroit to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/detroit-bound-flight-diverted-canada-passenger-congo-error-ebola-rcna346245\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">diverted to Canada<\/a> on Wednesday because a traveller from the DRC was onboard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that while it \u201cfully recognises the sovereign responsibility of every government to protect the health and security of its people \u2026 generalised travel restrictions and border closures are not the solution to outbreaks\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The body said: \u201cSuch measures can create fear, damage economies, discourage transparency, complicate humanitarian and health operations, and divert movement toward informal and unmonitored routes \u2013 potentially increasing public health risks rather than reducing them.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"6225b4b8-1e4f-453c-a44a-b993b36898f4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman dressed in black and wearing a blue face mask squirts hand sanitiser on a man riding a motorcycle, which is heavily laden with what appear to be plastic fuel cans. \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b9715be8993af92556085e5bf7767ac9df92191d\/0_0_5853_3902\/master\/5853.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"6225b4b8-1e4f-453c-a44a-b993b36898f4\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A port health officer sanitises the hands of a motorbike rider transporting goods across the border between Uganda and the DRC at the Busunga border crossing in Bundibugyo.<\/span> Photograph: Badru Katumba\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">There is no vaccine or treatment available to fight the Bundibugyo strain of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ebola\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ebola<\/a> responsible for the outbreak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Africa CDC said this highlighted \u201ca deeper structural injustice in global health innovation: the Bundibugyo Ebola virus was identified nearly two decades ago, yet no licensed vaccines or therapeutics specific to this strain exist today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It said: \u201cAfrica CDC believes that if this disease had predominantly threatened wealthier regions of the world, medical countermeasures would likely already be available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Dr Githinji Gitahi, the group CEO at Amref Health Africa, backed Africa CDC\u2019s stance. He said: \u201cTravel bans don\u2019t stop viruses, they stop solidarity. The fastest way to protect everyone is to invest in outbreak control at the source, not isolate the affected. Africa needs partnership, not punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Uganda\u2019s information minister, Chris Baryomunsi, told Reuters the US was \u201coverreacting\u201d by putting the travel ban in place. \u201cWe\u2019ve handled cases of Ebola and other epidemics for a number of years,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is capacity within the country to contain these epidemics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The outbreak had been linked to 139 deaths and about 600 suspected cases in the DRC as of Wednesday, the World Health Organization said, plus two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Most cases have been in the DRC\u2019s Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu provinces. On Thursday, the Alliance Fleuve Congo, which includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, said there had been a case in South Kivu, which is under their control.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"579f792a-9f96-4427-b3a4-b898d0716229\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Blue gates are closed in front of a square, low-rise white building. A group of motorbike riders cluster in front of it. \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/73d571720f4055210643b3e08be5fdaba2a95e2f\/0_0_7360_4912\/master\/7360.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.9891304347826\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"579f792a-9f96-4427-b3a4-b898d0716229\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A hospital designated as an Ebola treatment centre in Goma. A new Ebola case has been reported in the city, the capital of north Kivu province, DRC.<\/span> Photograph: Xinhua\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">An Ebola case in the North Kivu capital city, Goma, which is also under M23 control, has prompted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/denis-mukwege-1623673aa_d%C3%A9claration-sur-l%C3%A9pid%C3%A9mie-debola-en-rd-activity-7462472364329566208-xttN\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">urgent calls for its airport to be reopened<\/a> to facilitate the flow of aid and medical supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Researchers at Imperial College London have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imperial.ac.uk\/media\/imperial-college\/medicine\/mrc-gida\/Report-ebola-update-20-05-2026.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">revised their estimates<\/a> of the size of the outbreak upwards based on the latest WHO figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/global-development\/global-development\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Global development<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/ebola\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Ebola<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/congo\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/uganda\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Uganda<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/south-sudan\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">South Sudan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Ebola:%20US%20ban%20on%20travellers%20from%20DRC,%20Uganda%20or%20South%20Sudan%20%E2%80%98not%20the%20solution%E2%80%99&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/may\/21\/ebola-us-ban-travellers-drc-uganda-south-sudan?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fglobal-development%2F2026%2Fmay%2F21%2Febola-us-ban-travellers-drc-uganda-south-sudan&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=global-development\/2026\/may\/21\/ebola-us-ban-travellers-drc-uganda-south-sudan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Red Cross workers gather to disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1595\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}