An American physician working at a hospital in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, prompting the United States to implement travel restrictions from affected countries, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The physician, identified as Peter Stafford, has been based in Bunia in Ituri Province since 2023, where he was caring for patients as part of his medical work. He developed symptoms over the weekend and his diagnosis was confirmed on 17 May 2026.
No cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the United States as a result of the outbreak.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Ebola outbreak was confirmed by the DRC Ministry of Health on 15 May 2026, also in Ituri Province, in the northeastern part of the country.
As of 16 May 2026, the outbreak had produced 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths. The specific strain is the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant, one of several Ebola species that have caused documented outbreaks in Central and East Africa.
The DRC has experienced more Ebola outbreaks than any other country in the world. The country recorded its first Ebola outbreak in 1976, in a village near the Ebola River, from which the virus takes its name.
Since then, the DRC has faced more than a dozen separate outbreaks, with the 2018 to 2020 outbreak in North Kivu being the second-largest in recorded history after the 2014 to 2016 West Africa epidemic.
US travel restrictions and the risk to the public
On 18 May 2026, the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security implemented enhanced travel screening and entry restrictions to prevent the introduction of Ebola into the United States.
The measures target travellers from affected countries, including the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, which have also been identified in connection with the current outbreak.
The CDC has assessed the overall risk to the American public and to general travellers as low. Ebola is not spread through casual contact or through the air. It is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person who is symptomatic, which limits the risk of broad community transmission significantly.
Stafford’s case represents the first American known to be infected during this particular outbreak. His condition and current location could not be verified at the time of publishing.
The CDC has committed to ongoing updates as the situation develops, and the US government’s response will be closely watched given the scale of the current outbreak in the DRC.
Whether the travel restrictions will be expanded or tightened depends largely on how containment efforts in Ituri Province progress in the coming days.
