A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) stands near displaced people waiting for the burial of suspected Ebola victims at the Kigonze displaced persons camp, one month after an outbreak was declared, in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 18, 2026. Image@ REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo
The Democratic Republic of Congo has introduced strict new travel restrictions after a humanitarian doctor infected with Ebola became ill aboard a commercial flight from Kinshasa to Paris. The incident has exposed the limits of airport temperature checks and visual health screenings, prompting authorities to tighten measures aimed at preventing the virus from crossing borders.
Under a decree signed on June 24 by Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba, anyone identified as a contact of a confirmed or suspected Ebola patient must complete 21 days of active health monitoring from their last known exposure before travelling within the country or abroad, unless they receive special approval from health authorities. The same requirement applies to healthcare workers, laboratory staff and outbreak response teams returning from affected areas.
The new rules also extend to people who have stayed in an Ebola-hit province, even if they have not been identified as close contacts. They must spend at least 21 days outside the affected area before being allowed to travel internationally. In addition, all outbound passengers are now required to complete health declaration forms at border crossings, while airlines are responsible for ensuring travellers meet the new requirements.
The outbreak is concentrated in eastern DRC, particularly Ituri Province, and has become one of the country’s fastest-growing Ebola epidemics in recent years. Ituri has recorded more than 1,020 confirmed cases across 22 health zones, while neighbouring North Kivu has reported 95 cases and South Kivu three. As of June 24, the country had confirmed 1,118 Ebola infections and 291 deaths.
French authorities on Wednesday confirmed that the humanitarian doctor, who had recently returned from the DRC, tested positive for Ebola after developing symptoms during the flight. The patient has since been transferred to a specialist hospital. Health officials said the case was identified quickly, appropriate safety measures were immediately put in place, and there is no evidence of local transmission.
“France has specialized capabilities for managing highly transmissible infectious diseases,” the country’s Ministry of Health said. “Patients are treated in a designated healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols.”
The case marks the first Ebola infection reported in the European Union since the current outbreak began. It follows another imported case involving a U.S. citizen who was medically evacuated to Germany on May 19.
Health experts say the outbreak is especially concerning because it is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. Medical care focuses on supportive treatment, rapid identification of contacts, strict infection control measures and safe burial practices.
Only two previous Bundibugyo outbreaks have been recorded, in Uganda in 2007 and the DRC in 2012. Those outbreaks had fatality rates of 32% and 55% respectively, making the current epidemic the largest ever linked to the strain.
The United Nations has warned that the outbreak is spreading at an unprecedented rate. According to the World Health Organization, it took just 37 days for the death toll to reach 250. By comparison, it took 78 days during the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak and 130 days during the 2018-2019 Ebola epidemic in the DRC.
WHO emergency expert Abdirahman Mahamud highlighted the speed of the outbreak, while WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged governments to remain calm. He noted that only 30 imported Ebola cases have been recorded worldwide over the past five decades.
“The risk to the rest of the world is low,” Tedros said. “Whether it’s France or other countries in Europe, [other governments] shouldn’t overreact.”
The WHO has classified the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Efforts to contain the virus continue to face major obstacles, including insecurity in affected regions, population movement and busy cross-border trade routes, particularly those linked to mining activities.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah