Global scramble to contain new Ebola outbreak as US moves to limit entry from virus-hit region

Source: CNN World

Updated May 18, 2026, 12:56 PM ET
PUBLISHED May 18, 2026, 12:50 AM ET


An international effort is underway to contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda that has infected hundreds of people and caused dozens of suspected deaths, with the United States triggering a public health law to limit entry from the affected region.

On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola epidemic a “public health emergency of international concern.” The latest outbreak does not yet meet the criteria of a “pandemic emergency,” but WHO warned the high positivity rate and increasing number of cases and deaths across health zones point toward “a potentially much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported.” More than 100 suspected deaths have been linked to the outbreak in the DRC, the director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, told CNN on Monday.

That same day the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention invoked Title 42 – a public health law that restricts entry into the US during outbreaks of communicable diseases – for at least 30 days starting Monday. Title 42 has been on the books since 1944, but has only been used twice in the modern era. The first time was from March 2020 to May 2023 during Covid-19. Monday’s action on Ebola marks the second.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, chief executive officer of the Infectious Disease Society of America, says restricting immigration can stem the spread of an infection, but only if measures are coupled with exit screening from affected countries and with attention to human rights. “Singling out non-US passport holders singles out non-US citizens,” she said. “Pathogens don’t recognize passports.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/18/africa/ebola-outbreak-global-efforts-americans-intl-hnk