Israel health ministry reports suspected Ebola case linked to Congo traveler

Israel’s Ministry of Health announced a new suspected case of Ebola after a person who had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo developed fever, headache and diarrhoea. The patient was placed in isolation at Rambam Hospital in Haifa and later transferred to a dedicated isolation unit at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer while laboratory tests are pending. The ministry stressed that no confirmed Ebola infections have been reported in Israel and that the case is under epidemiological investigation, including contact tracing and monitoring of close contacts.

In response to the broader regional outbreak, the World Health Organization has declared the Ebola situation in the DRC and Uganda a public‑health emergency and launched a $518 million preparedness and response plan. Israeli health authorities have been preparing for such scenarios for months, issuing travel advisories, stockpiling protective equipment and training medical staff to handle high‑risk infectious diseases.