Seven American humanitarian workers from Samaritan's Purse are under a 21-day quarantine at a U.S.-run facility in Kenya after potential exposure to the Bundibugyo Ebola virus during their deployment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the organization's president Franklin Graham confirmed July 18, 2026. None of the seven have developed symptoms, Graham said. The quarantine is taking place at Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya, at a facility built by the United States specifically for this purpose despite a Kenyan High Court order that had temporarily halted its construction.
The workers' quarantine coincides with a new U.S. policy requiring anyone who has traveled to DRC to quarantine outside the United States for three weeks before returning, reflecting the severity of the outbreak and the risk of Ebola arriving on American soil.
Why This Matters
Seven aid workers in military tents in Kenya is more than a human-interest footnote. It represents the real and escalating operational cost of humanitarian engagement with what the World Health Organization has characterized as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in recorded history. Samaritan's Purse runs two Ebola treatment centers in Ituri Province, where the outbreak remains most concentrated. Its 72-member Disaster Assistance Response Team, including 44 Americans, is among the largest U.S.-linked humanitarian presences directly engaged with Bundibugyo patients.
The seven quarantined workers are part of a broader story about how the global health community is managing the tension between effective outbreak response and the risk of exporting the virus. No one who goes to the DRC to help fight Ebola can be certain they have not been exposed. The new U.S. travel restriction requiring external quarantine before return represents an attempt to manage that risk at the border rather than at the clinical level on U.S. soil.
What We Know So Far
Graham confirmed the quarantine in a statement reported by the Associated Press and ABC News: "Samaritan's Purse has seven American Disaster Assistance Response Team staff members there. None of them have any symptoms, but they are being quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days. They are being housed in large military tents in a fenced gravel area, sleeping on military cots, and their food is being provided by the U.S. military. I was able to speak to them by phone this morning, thank them, and encourage them while they wait to come home."
The seven workers are in quarantine as a precautionary measure, not because they tested positive for Ebola. They are among approximately 44 American Samaritan's Purse DART members deployed to DRC in the outbreak response, according to ABC News. This is the second time a Samaritan's Purse employee has been in the news cycle for this outbreak: the second U.S. citizen to test positive for Bundibugyo, confirmed July 10, was a Samaritan's Purse logistics worker based in Bunia who was medically evacuated to Frankfurt University Hospital.
The Laikipia Air Base facility where the seven workers are quarantined has itself become a point of controversy. Kenya's High Court issued an order halting its construction. Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary was found in contempt of court when construction continued. The facility was nonetheless completed, and the seven Samaritan's Purse workers appear to be its first occupants, according to ABC News. Kenyan activists called the occupancy a violation of the court order on Monday.
Where the Outbreak Stands Now
The outbreak has spread into the most geographically remote health zones in Ituri Province. According to the ECDC, as of data through July 18, the total confirmed case count is 2,344 with 930 deaths. Ituri Province remains the epicenter, with 2,090 cases and 776 deaths now recorded from 27 of Ituri's 36 health zones.
The geographic penetration into remote Ituri zones is significant because these areas have the most limited health infrastructure, the most disrupted contact tracing capacity due to conflict and displacement, and the fewest roads and communications links for responders to reach patients. When the outbreak moves into these zones, the response capability declines precisely when it needs to intensify.
North Kivu has also reported 230 cases and 139 deaths from 11 of 34 health zones, signaling continued geographic spread beyond Ituri. Uganda, which had 20 confirmed cases including two deaths, all linked to DRC travel, has not reported a new confirmed case since June 21, and its last hospitalized patient was discharged on July 16. Uganda's Ministry of Health has begun the 42-day countdown to declaring the end of its outbreak.
What Doctors and Experts Say
"We are going to do everything we can to help save lives. We want people to know that God loves them, and they are not alone," Franklin Graham said of Samaritan's Purse's commitment to DRC, according to Breitbart's sourced coverage of the organization's earlier statement. Graham's willingness to name the quarantined workers by organization, if not individually, provides more transparency than many organizations offer during outbreak responses.
The World Social Web Site analysis of the outbreak noted that the DRC response has been hampered by the fact that healthcare workers at treatment centers in Ituri had gone two months without pay at the same time the CDC was declaring its highest-level emergency activation. That pay delay produced strikes that removed healthcare workers from the front line of an outbreak response that required more hands, not fewer.
What the Evidence Shows and What It Does Not
MedicalDaily Evidence Check
- Seven workers' status: Asymptomatic as of July 18, 2026; quarantined for 21 days as a precautionary measure, not because of a confirmed positive test
- Quarantine location: U.S.-run facility at Laikipia Air Base, Kenya; built despite a Kenyan High Court order halting construction
- New U.S. travel restriction: DRC returnees must quarantine outside the U.S. for three weeks before returning to the country
- Outbreak totals (data through July 18): 2,344 confirmed cases; 930 deaths; 27 of 36 Ituri health zones affected; North Kivu reaching 11 of 34 health zones
- Uganda status: No new cases since June 21; last patient discharged July 16; 42-day countdown to declaring outbreak over has begun
- What it shows: The humanitarian response to the DRC outbreak is expanding, with new U.S. travel and quarantine policies reflecting the seriousness of the situation; geographic spread into remote Ituri zones is complicating containment
- What it does not show: Whether the seven quarantined workers will test positive during their 21-day monitoring period; whether the new U.S. quarantine requirement will affect the availability of humanitarian workers willing to deploy to DRC
- What readers should know: For most Americans, direct risk remains very low. The outbreak's humanitarian impact on eastern DRC is severe and worsening.
Who Faces the Greatest Risk?
The risk profile for Americans has changed with the new travel restriction:
- Americans who have recently returned from DRC are now required to complete 21-day quarantine outside the United States before coming home
- Americans planning humanitarian, medical, or journalistic work in DRC should understand that return to the U.S. now requires external quarantine
- The CDC has elevated its travel notice for DRC from Level 2 to reflect the new quarantine requirement, and now recommends avoiding non-essential travel to Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, and Tshopo provinces
For most Americans with no DRC travel plans, direct risk remains very low.
Symptoms of Bundibugyo Infection to Know
Returnees from DRC should self-monitor for 21 days after leaving the affected region. Contact a health care provider immediately if any of the following symptoms develop:
- Sudden fever
- Severe headache and body aches
- Extreme fatigue
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Unexplained bleeding or bruising
- Rash
Call ahead to any health facility before arriving; tell them you have returned from DRC and may have had Ebola exposure.
What You Can Do Now
- Any organization planning to deploy staff to DRC should be aware of the new U.S. requirement for external quarantine upon return and plan logistics accordingly.
- Returning travelers from DRC should contact the CDC and their organization's medical liaison for guidance on the current quarantine protocol before booking return travel.
- Aid organizations evaluating DRC deployment should consult USAID's DART structure and Samaritan's Purse's model for understanding what staff support and quarantine logistics planning look like in practice.
- Follow situation updates at the ECDC , WHO , and CDC Ebola situation summary .
What Happens Next
The seven Samaritan's Purse workers will complete their 21-day quarantine at Laikipia Air Base and return to the United States if they remain asymptomatic. Kenya's High Court dispute over the facility's legal status is expected to continue. The DRC outbreak response will continue as experimental trials of remdesivir, MBP134, and the BD-Ebov vaccine accumulate initial data. MedicalDaily will report on any new U.S. cases, any change in the Samaritan's Purse workers' status, and any significant clinical trial findings.
The Bottom Line
Seven American aid workers from Samaritan's Purse are under 21-day precautionary quarantine in Kenya after potential Ebola exposure in DRC, the first occupants of a U.S.-built facility whose construction Kenya's High Court had ordered halted. New U.S. travel restrictions now require DRC returnees to quarantine outside the country for three weeks before coming home. The outbreak has spread into 27 of Ituri's 36 health zones, and North Kivu continues to accumulate cases. For most Americans, direct risk remains very low. For humanitarian workers, journalists, and aid professionals in DRC, the calculus has changed with new quarantine requirements.
