The U.S. has imposed entry bans on travelers from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan following a new Ebola outbreak declared a global emergency by the WHO. The CDC assesses the risk to the U.S. public as low. Meanwhile, Canada has only issued a level-two travel notice for Congo, advising enhanced precautions. Experts argue travel bans are ineffective for controlling diseases like Ebola, which is not easily transmitted.
Dr. Gerald Evans of Queen’s University says restrictions don't stop viral hemorrhagic fevers, noting they spread differently than COVID-19. Dr. Isaac Bogoch of Toronto General Hospital agrees, calling previous COVID-era travel bans “performative.” He emphasizes that with unprecedented human mobility, the focus should be on helping low- and middle-income countries detect and respond to outbreaks.
The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, has at least 139 suspected deaths and over 600 suspected cases. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain. Most cases are in Ituri province, Congo, near the Ugandan border, where border crossings with Rwanda are closed.