Health Ministry floats barring entry to visitors at higher risk of Ebola exposure

By Diana Bletter

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9 June 2026, 8:29 pm

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Reporter at The Times of Israel

A man wearing a protective mask walks along a busy street in Kampala, Uganda, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

As an Ebola outbreak spreads in Africa, the Health Ministry has asked the Population and Immigration Authority to consider temporarily restricting the entry of those who are not citizens or residents of Israel and who have been in one of the countries affected by the outbreak.

The ban would apply to visitors who were in one of the following countries during the 21 days before their arrival: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya. There is an increased risk in those countries of exposure to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

Since the disease broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 5, there have been nearly 1,000 cases and over 200 deaths reported.

There is no known spread of the virus outside of Africa, except for patients who were flown securely to receive medical treatment in Europe and the US.

The ministry emphasizes that this is a preventive measure only. The public in Israel, as in other Western countries, remains at low risk of being exposed to Ebola. However, the ministry’s aim is to reduce the risk of importing cases of the disease into Israel.

The ministry also recommends avoiding non-essential travel to areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda where cases of the disease are known.

Travelers who have returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and who develop a fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days of their arrival, are asked to stay home and avoid contact with others, and to immediately contact a hotline run by the ministry.

The World Health Organization has said that late detection, the absence of a vaccine or virus-specific therapeutics, widespread armed violence, and high mobility among the population make Congo especially vulnerable to the disease.

Ebola is a lethal infectious disease with high fatality rates, transmitted primarily through direct contact with a symptomatic patient or with blood, secretions, and body fluids.