All passengers arriving in the United States from abroad will soon be required to confirm that they have not recently visited the center of Africa’s Ebola outbreak.
Beginning November 3, travelers must sign a paper or electronic declaration stating that they have not been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 21 days before their flight.
The requirement covers every traveler, regardless of nationality or departure point. It represents the latest step by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to limit the risk of the outbreak reaching the United States.
The CDC is scheduled to brief major American and international airlines on Friday, outlining how carriers must implement the new requirement.
On Tuesday, US health authorities issued a level 1 travel notice for Kenya, advising Americans visiting the country to take routine precautions.
The advisory followed Kenya’s confirmation of its first imported Ebola case on October 6. The patient had traveled from the DRC through Uganda. Nigeria later reported an internationally linked Ebola case on October 20.
The outbreak, which the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency in May, is being caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The strain can kill as many as half of those infected, and no vaccine or treatment is available for it.
Experts warn that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached a “tipping point.” Above, Red Cross workers disinfect an area in Ituri province in May this year.
The virus has crossed from the DRC into neighboring Uganda, while imported cases have also been recorded in Nigeria and Kenya.
Both Nigeria and Kenya have reported local transmission. Uganda’s outbreak has since been declared over, although Kenya has continued to report imported infections.
During the summer, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention described the crisis as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever documented on the continent.
The declaration must be completed by anyone planning to board an international flight bound for the US, unless the traveler has received an exemption from the US government.
Passengers may download and print the form from the CDC website or complete and sign it electronically.
Airlines and other aircraft operators must verify that each passenger has completed the attestation before boarding. Anyone unable to provide the form will be refused boarding.
US authorities will keep a copy of every declaration for a minimum of 42 days after the passenger arrives in the country.
Existing rules already prohibit entry to the US for travelers who have been in the DRC during the preceding 21 days.
The United States has also introduced Ebola-related entry measures for people arriving from Uganda and South Sudan.
Foreign nationals who have recently visited those countries are barred from entering for at least 21 days after leaving. US citizens, by contrast, must undergo health screening when they return home.
The CDC says the outbreak has produced 9,581 confirmed cases and 4,605 confirmed deaths since it began in May.
The above map highlights where the CDC’s level 1 travel notice is in effect for due to the spread of Ebola
This includes 9,552 confirmed cases and 4,602 confirmed deaths in the DRC.
Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases, one probable case, two confirmed deaths and one probable death. There have been eight confirmed cases and one confirmed death in Kenya, and one confirmed case in France.
France reported its imported case of Ebola in June in a humanitarian doctor after he returned from the DRC.
According to local reports, he showed little to no symptoms and fully recovered by early July.
At least two American aid workers contracted Ebola while working in the DRC during the current outbreak, though no local cases have been confirmed in the US, according to health authorities.
The first American case was reported in May 2026 in Dr Peter Stafford, who was evacuated to Germany for treatment.
A second US citizen tested positive in July 2026 while working as a humanitarian aid worker in the DRC and was also medically evacuated to Germany.
The aid worker was medically evacuated to Frankfurt University Hospital, home to one of Europe’s specialized high-containment infectious disease units.
German officials said the US sought treatment there because of the country’s experience managing Ebola cases and its close proximity to the DRC.
Both were treated and reported to be in stable condition at the time. No Ebola-linked deaths have been reported in Americans in the current outbreak.
The CDC issued a level 4, ‘avoid all travel,’ notice for the Ituri and Nord-Kivu (North-Kivu) provinces in the DRC due to Ebola in August, and is still in effect.
A level 3, ‘reconsider nonessential travel,’ is in effect for the Haut-Uélé and Tshopo provinces of the DRC due to Ebola.
Additionally, a level 2, ‘practice enhanced precautions,’ travel notice has been issued for the remainder of the DRC and for Uganda due to the Ebola outbreak.
The American embassy in the DRC said in May: ‘The US government is extremely limited in its ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Ituri province. Do not travel to this area for any reason.’
Ituri province is the epicenter of the outbreak.
CDC officials maintain the risk to the general US public remains low but urged travelers to the area to avoid contact with any sick individuals.
Over the summer, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said this is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in Africa
The above shows health workers with the coffin of 38-year-old woman Abineno Justine, who died of Ebola in Bunia, DRC. The image was taken on September 4 this year
The CDC has also said travelers should watch for symptoms of Ebola for 21 days after leaving the DRC.
This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where the virus is endemic, since it was discovered in 1976, but only the third caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
The other two Bundibugyo outbreaks were in 2007 and 2012.
The most recent Ebola outbreaks in the DRC were in 2018 and 2020 and they killed more than 1,000 people each.
The largest Ebola outbreak occurred from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa when more than 28,600 cases were reported.
Ebola spreads through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, as well as contact with contaminated objects or infected animals such as bats or primates.
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
