CDC Keeps Ebola Screening in Place as U.S. Risk Remains Low
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is keeping enhanced Ebola screening and traveler follow-up measures in place after a Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
In an update dated July 31, 2026, the CDC said no Ebola cases associated with the outbreak had been reported in the United States. It said the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains low, while noting that an imported case could have serious consequences.
The federal response is intended to reduce the chance that an infected traveler enters the country and to identify a possible case quickly. The CDC says the likelihood of Ebola spreading to the United States is very low. If a case were identified, the risk of wider spread would also be low because of U.S. public-health and infection-control capacity.
What measures remain in place
On May 18, the CDC, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies implemented public-health entry screening, targeted entry restrictions and related measures.
The CDC says an order issued July 13 continued the suspension of entry for specified foreign nationals for a stated period of 30 days. That measure is not a universal travel ban. Separately, CDC traveler-management guidance covers people arriving from or transiting through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and neighboring South Sudan.
Federal public-health staff conduct an initial assessment of some air passengers who arrive from or transit through those countries and are redirected to a U.S. airport designated for public-health entry screening. Health departments receive traveler information, provide health education and determine whether additional assessment or monitoring is appropriate.
What the 21-day period means
The monitoring period lasts 21 days after a traveler leaves an affected country or area of concern. It is not an automatic quarantine for every traveler.
Follow-up depends on the person’s location, activities and potential exposure. Travelers who were in an area of concern without a high-risk exposure are advised to self-monitor, including taking their temperature daily, and to notify their health department if symptoms develop. People who had situations with exposure potential may receive regular health-department monitoring during the 21-day period.
Travelers who were in an affected country but outside an area of concern, including those who only transited through an airport, generally receive an initial assessment and may receive an additional check-in. CDC’s guidance lists no movement restrictions for asymptomatic travelers without high-risk exposures, although it advises travelers to coordinate with health departments before leaving their jurisdiction and to reconsider international or cruise travel during the monitoring period.
What returning travelers should do
Anyone who develops symptoms compatible with Bundibugyo virus disease within 21 days of leaving an affected area should separate from others, avoid travel and contact the relevant health department or health-care provider for instructions. Before going to a medical facility, the person should call ahead and disclose the recent travel.
Recent travel alone does not establish Ebola infection. CDC guidance says testing decisions should consider symptoms together with the person’s travel history, activities and possible exposure to infected people, body fluids, health-care settings, funerals, wildlife or other risk factors.
What clinicians and health departments are expected to do
Clinicians should ask about recent international travel and exposure history when evaluating a patient with compatible symptoms. If Bundibugyo virus disease is suspected, CDC advises placing the patient in isolation at the presenting facility, using recommended infection-control precautions and contacting the appropriate health department immediately.
Health departments coordinate patient assessment, specimen collection and testing with the clinical team and CDC. They also help determine whether a patient needs evaluation at a facility equipped to manage a suspected viral hemorrhagic fever and coordinate transportation and infection-control precautions when necessary.
Bundibugyo virus disease is a type of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. It is different from the Ebola virus species targeted by the U.S.-licensed ERVEBO vaccine. CDC guidance says no vaccine or specific treatment has been approved for Bundibugyo virus disease, although early supportive care can improve the chance of survival.
For most people in the United States, the practical message remains that the current risk is low. The continuing screening and monitoring measures show that the federal response is still active because preventing an imported case and detecting one quickly are central to keeping that risk low.
Sources
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