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Africa CDC Mandates Exit Screening Across All African Union Member States as Ebola Tops 856 Confirmed Cases

ADDIS ABABA — 18 June 2026

Africa CDC, two days after the African heads of state summit on the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, formalised a directive requiring all African Union member states to immediately strengthen exit screening at international airports, seaports, and major land border crossings. The directive explicitly warns against blanket travel bans, which both Africa CDC and WHO characterise as counterproductive to outbreak control, capable of disrupting humanitarian supply chains, weakening surveillance systems, and discouraging the transparency necessary for outbreak detection.

The Africa CDC directive came as confirmed case figures showed a rapidly expanding outbreak. As of 15 June, the DRC Ministry of Health had logged 837 confirmed cases and 196 confirmed deaths. Uganda recorded 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, with the outbreak described as epidemiologically linked to DRC transmission along the eastern DRC and western Uganda corridor. WHO Director-General Tedros stated at the 16 June summit that in the nearly 50 years since the first Ebola outbreaks in 1976, only four cases had been documented in travellers from Africa, excluding medical evacuations. He called blanket travel restrictions an unnecessary overreaction that does more harm than good. The Africa CDC directive was issued as part of the Joint Continental Preparedness and Response Plan, endorsed by the 16 June heads of state summit. Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya co-hosted the summit alongside the African Union Chairperson, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

Source: WHO Director-General remarks at High-Level Virtual Meeting, 16 June 2026; ECDC Threat Assessment, 18 June 2026; Africa CDC statement.