The Democratic Republic of the Congo is now dealing with the largest Ebola outbreak in its history — and one of the deadliest anywhere. As of 12 September, health authorities have counted 7,200 confirmed cases and 3,475 deaths, with 923 patients in isolation wards. That puts it ahead of the 2018-2020 Kivu outbreak, which was previously the country's worst, and case numbers are still rising rather than levelling off.
The outbreak started in Ituri Province in May 2026 and is caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus. It has since reached 62 health zones across seven provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uélé, Tshopo, Bas-Uélé and Sud Ubangi. The case fatality rate is running at 48.3%, and the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern back on 16 May. Response efforts are complicated by weak healthcare infrastructure and armed conflict in the east of the country, though Doctors Without Borders has more than 1,700 staff working in the affected areas.
There is one piece of genuinely good news next door. Uganda's smaller outbreak — 20 cases and 2 deaths between May and June — has been officially declared over by the WHO after 42 days without a new confirmed case. A handful of exported cases have been handled abroad too, including medical evacuations to Germany and one confirmed case in France, all traced back to the DRC.
Despite Uganda's clean bill of health, travel restrictions tied to the DRC remain firmly in place. The United States is still barring entry to non-citizens who have been in the DRC in the previous 21 days. Canada has suspended immigration processing for DRC residents. Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Curaçao all maintain entry bans linked to recent DRC travel. South Africa, notably, has not issued a ban or a specific advisory, and keeps regular flights and business links running across the region.
If your plans touch Central Africa in the coming months — even as a transit passenger — the practical advice is straightforward. Check the entry rules for your destination and every country on your routing before you book, because 21-day lookback rules can catch out people who only passed through the region. This is a live, expanding situation, not a fading headline, and requirements can shift with little notice.
For most leisure travellers, eastern DRC is off the table for now regardless of formal restrictions. But the story matters more widely: cross-border health measures in East and Central Africa can affect safari circuits, overland routes and regional flights, and imported cases showing up in Germany and France show how quickly borders respond. Anyone with a September or October trip to the region should keep an eye on WHO updates and their airline's advisories rather than assuming yesterday's rules still apply.
