A US travel ban targeting people arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in response to the Ebola outbreak has drawn sharp criticism. Critics argue the measure could worsen the situation.
The outbreak has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease continues to spread, with a new case reported in South Kivu province, DRC, an area controlled by armed rebel groups.
The ban applies to non-US passport holders who have been in any of the three countries within the past 21 days. The measure has disrupted the DRC men's national football team's preparations for the World Cup and forced a flight bound for Detroit to divert to Canada due to a passenger from the DRC on board.
Africa CDC stated: 'While fully recognizing the sovereign responsibility of each government to protect the health and security of its people, blanket travel restrictions and border closures are not a solution to disease outbreaks.'
The agency emphasized: 'Such measures can create fear, cause economic damage, hinder transparency, complicate humanitarian and health operations, and push travel to informal, unmonitored routes – potentially increasing, rather than reducing, public health risks.'
No vaccine or treatment exists yet for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus causing this outbreak. Africa CDC says this exposes 'deeper structural injustice in global health innovation: the Ebola Bundibugyo virus was identified nearly two decades ago, yet no licensed vaccine or treatment exists specifically for this strain.'
The agency urged: 'Africa CDC believes that if this disease primarily threatened wealthier parts of the world, medical countermeasures would likely have been ready long ago.'
Dr. Githinji Gitahi, CEO of Amref Health Africa, echoed Africa CDC's stance. He said: 'Travel bans don't stop the virus; they stop solidarity. The fastest way to protect everyone is to invest in disease control at the source, not isolate affected areas. Africa needs collaboration, not punishment.'
Uganda's Minister of Information, Chris Baryomunsi, called the US ban 'an overreaction.' He told Reuters: 'We have handled Ebola cases and other diseases for years. There is sufficient capacity within the country to contain these outbreaks.'
According to the WHO, the outbreak has involved 139 deaths and about 600 suspected cases in the DRC as of Wednesday, along with two confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda. Most cases are concentrated in Ituri province and neighboring North Kivu province.
The Alliance Fleuve Congo, which includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, announced cases in South Kivu, an area under their control. An Ebola case in Goma, the capital of North Kivu – also under M23 control – has prompted urgent calls to reopen the city's airport to facilitate aid and medical supplies.
Researchers at Imperial College London have revised their estimates of the outbreak's size upward based on the latest WHO data.
