Congo health minister calls U.S. Ebola travel restrictions ‘discriminatory’

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health minister on Friday denounced travel bans imposed by the United States and other nations in response to the country’s Ebola outbreak, calling the restrictions “discriminatory” and unsupported by science.

Roger Kamba, the DRC’s minister of public health, made the remarks at a joint press briefing alongside communications minister Patrick Muyaya, who said Kinshasa is negotiating with Washington to demonstrate improvements in its outbreak response and secure an early lifting of the ban. Mr. Kamba acknowledged that the DRC’s initial response had been inadequate.

Under a CDC order effective May 18, 2026, certain non-U.S. citizens who were present in the DRC, South Sudan or Uganda within the previous 21 days are temporarily prohibited from entering the United States. The order was issued under Title 42 of U.S. public health law, with the CDC and Department of Homeland Security citing authority under the Public Health Service Act to restrict entry from countries where a quarantinable communicable disease exists.

A subsequent revision by the Department of Health and Human Services, effective May 22, extended the restriction to lawful permanent residents — green card holders — who have been in those three countries within the preceding 21 days. Green card holders had historically been shielded from U.S. entry restrictions; the CDC’s COVID-era Title 42 order had not applied to them, nor had previous Trump travel bans. American citizens and nationals may still enter but are required to do so through designated airports equipped for enhanced public health screening, including Washington Dulles, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston and John F. Kennedy International in New York. The CDC said the restrictions would remain in effect for at least 30 days. 

Several other countries have enacted similar measures. Canada announced temporary border restrictions on May 26, suspending immigration documents for residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan for 90 days beginning May 27, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other foreign nationals who have been in any of the three countries within the previous 21 days and arrive without symptoms are required to quarantine for 21 days.

The Bahamas also imposed restrictions, requiring enhanced public health screenings for Bahamian nationals returning from affected countries within 21 days and subjecting foreign nationals present in those countries within the past 30 days to possible screening, quarantine or isolation. Thailand, for its part, declared the DRC and Uganda “dangerous communicable disease infected zones” and imposed a mandatory 21-day quarantine for all travelers arriving from or transiting through those countries. 

The DRC’s objections have drawn backing from the World Health Organization, which has long opposed broad travel bans as a disease-control measure. W.H.O. regional director for Africa Mohamed Janabi said at a press briefing Thursday that flight restrictions and border closures were counterproductive because they disrupt supply chains, weaken surveillance and discourage transparency — and risk pushing infected people to use informal border crossings where they cannot be tested.

“Ebola is not an airborne disease. Blanket travel bans do not stop Ebola,” Mr. Janabi said.

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W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reinforced that position in remarks last weekend from Bunia, the Ituri Province capital at the epicenter of the outbreak. “These measures make the response harder, and they discourage the transparency that saves lives,” he said.

The DRC Ministry of Health reported on June 4 a total of 381 confirmed cases and 64 confirmed deaths as of Wednesday, with 233 individuals hospitalized in isolation. The figures, cited by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, reflect only laboratory-confirmed cases; the confirmed toll is substantially lower than broader counts of suspected cases and deaths that circulated earlier in the outbreak. The outbreak was confirmed by the DRC Ministry of Health on May 15 and has been identified as the Bundibugyo virus, a strain of the Ebola family for which no approved vaccine exists.

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