Every international flight arriving in the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan is now being rerouted — regardless of the traveler's original scheduled destination — to one of four specific airports where enhanced Ebola health screening is being conducted. This policy, implemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and DHS in coordination with CDC, was confirmed on the CDC's Ebola Outbreak Current Situation page, which was updated June 14, 2026.
Affected passengers are being directed to arrive at four airports: Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in Georgia, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. These are the four U.S. airports with the established infrastructure to conduct viral hemorrhagic fever health screening at scale — equipped with CDC quarantine station staff, medical personnel trained in Ebola screening protocols, appropriate isolation facilities, and the logistical capacity to manage incoming travelers from high-risk regions.
The rerouting policy is a direct public health response to the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak — the most significant Ebola epidemic since the 2018–2020 North Kivu outbreak — which has now spread to Ituri, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu provinces in the DRC and to Uganda's capital Kampala. CDC modeling projections published in MMWR on June 5, 2026 warned that without rapid public health intervention, there is a 65 percent probability the outbreak could exceed 20,000 cases within three months — which would make it one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history.
How the Screening Process Works
Passengers arriving from DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan who are rerouted to the four designated airports undergo a multi-stage screening process managed by CDC Quarantine Station staff. The initial step is a questionnaire covering recent travel history, potential Ebola exposures (contact with confirmed or suspected Ebola patients, healthcare work, attendance at burials or funerals in affected areas), and current symptoms. Passengers are also assessed for fever using non-contact thermometers.
Travelers who screen negative for symptoms and report no high-risk exposures are cleared to continue to their final U.S. destination and receive written health monitoring guidance — including instructions to monitor their temperature twice daily for 21 days and to call their health department immediately if they develop fever, headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained hemorrhage.
Travelers who screen positive for symptoms or report high-risk exposures are assessed more thoroughly and may be referred for medical evaluation and isolation pending laboratory testing. The CDC's interim guidance for public health assessment and management of travelers arriving from affected countries during the 2026 Ebola outbreak provides the detailed clinical framework that airport health staff, state health departments, and clinicians are following.
Who Is Affected and What Travelers Need to Know
The population most directly affected by this policy includes aid workers and humanitarian personnel returning from DRC and Uganda, healthcare workers, missionaries, academic researchers, family members of Congolese and Ugandan diaspora communities, diplomatic personnel, and journalists. South Sudan is included due to its geographic proximity to the DRC outbreak zones and confirmed cross-border population movement patterns.
Canada has implemented parallel border measures for travelers arriving from DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan, effective May 30, 2026 through August 29, 2026 — confirming the international community is treating the outbreak as a genuine importation risk requiring active border management.
Travelers who have been in affected areas in the 21 days prior to their U.S. arrival should follow CDC self-monitoring guidance after clearing screening: take their temperature twice daily, avoid high-risk activities during the monitoring period, and call their state or local health department immediately rather than visiting a clinic or emergency department if they develop any symptoms. This call-first protocol prevents potentially unnecessary exposure of healthcare workers before isolation precautions can be implemented.
The enhanced screening represents an unprecedented coordination of aviation, customs, public health, and clinical response infrastructure — but it is not impermeable. The effectiveness of airport screening for Ebola is limited by the disease's incubation period (2 to 21 days), meaning travelers who were exposed but have not yet developed fever can pass screening and develop illness days later in their home communities. The 21-day self-monitoring protocol following screening is therefore not advisory — it is the essential second layer of a two-layer detection system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the current US policy for travelers from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan?
A: All air travelers from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan are being rerouted to one of four designated US airports — Washington-Dulles (IAD), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL), Houston IAH, or JFK — where enhanced Ebola health screening is conducted by CDC Quarantine Station staff.
Q: What happens during the enhanced Ebola screening?
A: Travelers complete a questionnaire about exposure history and symptoms, have their temperature checked, and are assessed by CDC staff. Those with symptoms or high-risk exposures are referred for further medical evaluation and possible isolation.
Q: What are travelers supposed to do for 21 days after clearing screening?
A: Self-monitor twice daily with a thermometer, avoid high-risk activities during the monitoring period, and call the local health department immediately (not visit a clinic) if any symptoms develop — fever, headache, weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained bleeding.
Q: Why are only four airports handling these flights?
A: Washington-Dulles, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Houston IAH, and JFK are the four airports with established CDC quarantine station infrastructure, medical personnel trained in viral hemorrhagic fever protocols, and isolation facilities required for Ebola-level public health screening at scale.
Q: Has Canada implemented similar measures?
A: Yes. Canada implemented temporary border measures for travelers from DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan effective May 30 through August 29, 2026.
