As noted in the community message on May 20, 2026, Georgetown has suspended university-related travel for all of its students, faculty and staff to the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. Any community members who are in the affected countries, plan to travel there or plan to return to a Georgetown campus after being there in the past 21 days should reach out to publichealth@georgetown.edu. Any community members with general questions or planning to host a visitor at a Georgetown campus who has traveled to an impacted country within 21 days should contact publichealth@georgetown.edu.
Ebola
On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The illnesses were identified as Ebola Bundibugyo (Bun-dee-BOO-joh) virus. The CDC assesses the overall risk to the American public and travelers as low at this time.
Overview
According to the WHO, Ebola disease is a severe illness with a case fatality rate around 50%. It can be caused by four different viruses: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Tai Forest virus and Bundibugyo virus. Early, intensive supportive care with rehydration and symptom treatment increases survival rates. Vaccines and targeted treatments are only available for one of the viruses, the Ebola virus, causing Ebola disease. Transmission occurs with direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease, or direct contact with objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with body fluids from a person who is sick with or has died from the disease. Transmission does not occur prior to symptom onset, and infected individuals remain infectious as long as their blood contains the virus.
The incubation period, which is the interval from infection to onset of symptoms, varies from two to 21 days. Initial symptoms can include fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. These symptoms can be followed by vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash and symptoms of impaired kidney and liver functions. Bleeding is a less frequent symptom, but it can occur later in the disease.
Current Status and Travel Precautions
On May 18, 2026, the CDC, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and public health measures to prevent Ebola disease from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa. According to this order, CDC will:
- Enhance public health screening and traveler monitoring for individuals arriving from areas affected by Ebola outbreaks in the region.
- Implement entry restrictions on non-U.S. passport holders if they have been in Uganda, DRC or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
- Coordinate with airlines, international partners and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus.
- Enhance port health protection response activities, contact tracing, laboratory testing capacity and hospital readiness nationwide.
- Continue deployment of CDC personnel to support outbreak containment efforts in affected regions.