On Monday 18 May 2026 the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security jointly implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and public-health measures on arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, following the WHO declaration of the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May. This page covers what the enhanced screening looks like, which five US international airports are designated, how the protocol works at the gate, and what travellers should expect.
Which five US international airports are designated
Five US international airports have been designated for the enhanced entry screening on arrivals from DRC and Uganda. The five-airport channel was chosen because it concentrates arrivals from sub-Saharan Africa through a small number of major-hub airports with established CDC quarantine-station capacity:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) — primary US gateway for Delta Air Lines service to Africa.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York (JFK) — multiple-carrier transatlantic and African gateway.
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) — United Airlines African gateway.
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) — Ethiopian Airlines and connecting traffic.
- Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — secondary gateway for connecting Africa traffic.
All other US international airports are not designated. Travellers arriving from DRC or Uganda on routes terminating outside the five designated airports are being rerouted through the designated channel before final entry processing.
What the enhanced screening protocol looks like
The CDC + DHS enhanced screening protocol layers on top of normal customs and border processing. The published protocol elements include:
- Self-declaration of travel history — every traveller arriving from DRC or Uganda completes a CDC traveller-information form covering exact itinerary inside DRC/Uganda, dates, contact with healthcare facilities, possible exposure to ill persons or funerals, and onward US itinerary.
- Temperature screening — non-contact temperature measurement at the gate.
- Symptom screening — CDC quarantine-station staff conduct a brief structured symptom interview covering fever, headache, GI symptoms, and fatigue.
- Risk stratification — travellers are stratified into risk tiers based on exposure history. Higher-risk travellers (those with known contact with a confirmed case, healthcare workers from affected facilities, or symptomatic travellers) are referred for further evaluation.
- 21-day post-arrival monitoring — all arriving travellers receive instructions for active self-monitoring during the 21-day Ebola incubation window, with daily temperature checks and a designated state/local health department contact.
How long enhanced screening will be in place
The CDC + DHS public-health emergency travel measures are typically authorised for 30-day renewable windows tied to the WHO PHEIC status. As of 23 May 2026 the enhanced screening remains in place; renewal at the 30-day mark is expected given the WHO 22 May upgrade of the DRC area risk assessment from "high" to "very high."
What travellers from DRC or Uganda should know
- Plan additional time at the arriving airport — the enhanced screening typically adds 30–60 minutes to entry processing.
- Carry your itinerary, accommodation history and any healthcare facility contacts on paper or in a screenshot — the CDC traveller form requires specifics.
- Declare any known exposure honestly. Higher-risk travellers receive structured follow-up rather than refusal of entry; non-disclosure followed by symptom onset post-arrival is the worst possible outcome.
- Activate the 21-day self-monitoring window from the date of your last possible exposure inside DRC or Uganda, not the date of arrival.
- For any febrile illness developing inside the 21-day window, contact the designated state/local health department immediately — do not present at a routine ER without phoning ahead.
What this means for US domestic Ebola risk
The CDC continues to assess the US domestic Ebola risk as low. The enhanced entry screening, combined with the 21-day active monitoring window for arriving travellers from DRC and Uganda, is designed to detect any imported case within the asymptomatic incubation window and route it to a US biocontainment unit before any community exposure. The American physician Dr Peter Stafford — who tested positive for Bundibugyo virus on 17 May while working at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia — was medically evacuated directly to a German high-containment unit rather than returning to the United States, and remains clinically stable.
Separately, the US asked the Democratic Republic of the Congo's national football team — which will base in Houston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — to isolate before arrival for the tournament. The team subsequently cancelled its fan farewell event in Kinshasa over Ebola concerns. This is the kind of high-visibility travel-related measure that is consistent with the enhanced screening posture rather than a separate emergency authority.