African Officials Say US Ebola-Related Restrictions Unnecessary

The United States is preventing non-U.S. passport holders from entering the country if they were recently in central Africa.

A border health officer at the Busunga crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo checks a traveler's temperature in Bundibugyo on May 18, 2026. Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images

Travel restrictions imposed by the U.S. government over fears that Ebola could enter the United States are unnecessary and counterproductive, African officials said on May 19.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said “travel restrictions and border closures are not the solution to outbreaks” and called on countries to refrain from imposing such restrictions.