Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ‘not the solution’

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other critics argue that a US travel ban on individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, implemented in response to an Ebola outbreak, is counterproductive. The outbreak, declared a public health emergency of international concern, has spread to new areas, including South Kivu province in the DRC. The Africa CDC stated that such restrictions can increase public health risks by discouraging transparency and complicating humanitarian efforts, while also highlighting a "structural injustice" in global health innovation due to the lack of specific vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Uganda's information minister believes the US is "overreacting," citing the country's capacity to contain epidemics. The outbreak has been linked to numerous deaths and suspected cases in the DRC and confirmed cases in Uganda.

The United States will grant entry to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) football team for the World Cup, despite an existing ban on non-Americans who have visited the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the last 21 days due to an Ebola outbreak. A senior Department of State official confirmed the exemption, stating the team is expected to attend. The official noted the DRC team has been training in Europe, potentially avoiding the ban, but if they had been in the DRC, they would undergo strict screening and isolation protocols similar to returning US citizens. This exemption will not extend to general fans from the DRC. The DRC's World Cup campaign begins in Texas on June 17 against Portugal.