CDC issues new travel notice as record Ebola outbreak spreads to another country

American health officials have issued another travel notice as the record Ebola outbreak in Africa continues to spread to new countries. 

The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice for Kenya, indicating American travelers should practice precautions if traveling to the country. 

The alert was sparked after Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola on October 6, 2026, in a traveler arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via Uganda.

The Ebola outbreak, declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization on May 17, is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. 

It has spread from the DRC to neighboring Uganda, with imported cases reported in at least two other countries.

Both countries have seen local transmission – though the outbreak in Uganda has been declared over – but imported cases have been reported in Kenya, as well as France.

The Bundibugyo strain has up to a 50 percent mortality rate and there is no vaccine or treatment for the strain.

Over the summer, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in Africa.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 9,581 total confirmed cases and 4,605 total confirmed deaths.

This includes 9,552 confirmed cases and 4,602 confirmed deaths in the DRC, 20 confirmed cases and one probable case and two confirmed deaths and one probable death in Uganda, 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. 

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. 

Both were treated and reported to be in stable condition at the time. No Ebola-linked deaths have been reported in Americans. 

The US CDC issued a level 4, ‘avoid all travel,’ notice for the Ituri and Nord-Kivu (North-Kivu) provinces in the DRC due to Ebola. 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.

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 in 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.

The mortality rate for the Bundibugyo virus ranges from 25 to 50 percent.