DR Congo Ebola outbreak prompts US travel bans and Kinshasa boat quarantine

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, reporting more than 4,000 confirmed cases and 1,850 deaths across five eastern provinces. In response, the United States temporarily restricted travel for passengers who have recently been in Uganda, South Sudan or the DRC. U.S. citizens and nationals who visited Uganda or South Sudan within 21 days must route through designated U.S. airports for CDC entry screening, while those who have been in the DRC are barred from boarding commercial flights to the United States and must remain abroad for 21 days.

Congolese health officials also intercepted a river boat, the Yingfeng 2, about 65 km upstream from Kinshasa. After a passenger died with fever and diarrhoea, the vessel was quarantined, decontaminated and all 300 passengers were screened. Seven passengers who showed malaria‑like symptoms were tested for Ebola and all results were negative, according to Jean‑Jacques Muyembe of the National Institute for Biomedical Research. Provincial health official Isabelle Lumbwe said all boats arriving in Kinshasa will now be screened to prevent further spread.