CDC Seeks Ebola Volunteers for 4 U.S. Airports as Congo Outbreak Tops 1,077 Suspected Cases
Updated
Updated · ms.now · May 29
CDC Seeks Ebola Volunteers for 4 U.S. Airports as Congo Outbreak Tops 1,077 Suspected Cases
5 articles · Updated · ms.now · May 29
CDC staff received an agency-wide call for volunteers to support the U.S. Ebola response, with some asked to help screen travelers at four airports including JFK, Dulles, Atlanta and Houston.
The move follows a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that the CDC says has reached at least 1,077 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths since May 15.
U.S. citizens and nationals who visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan are subject to screening within 21 days of re-entering the United States, as Washington says it is trying to prevent any Ebola case from entering the country.
The response is being mounted after hundreds of CDC employees were reportedly cut and the agency's former Global Rapid Response Team was dissolved in 2023, complicating outbreak deployments.
Separately, a Kenyan court temporarily blocked a U.S. plan to open a quarantine site at Laikipia air base for potentially exposed Americans; no U.S. citizens have yet been slated for transfer there.
Why build a controversial Ebola quarantine in Kenya instead of treating exposed Americans on US soil?
Without its rapid response team, can a volunteer-driven CDC truly defend America from future pandemics?
Have US cuts to global health programs left the world more vulnerable to deadly outbreaks like Ebola?
U.S. Response to the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: Border Controls, Global Gaps, and the Urgent Need for Medical Countermeasures
Overview
The 2026 Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO in late May 2026. The epidemic mainly affects the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with over 130 deaths reported and growing fears about containment. A major challenge is the lack of an approved vaccine, and experts warn that a vaccine will not be available soon. As the number of cases rises, the urgent need for effective response measures becomes clear, highlighting the global implications and the critical importance of rapid action to control the outbreak.