US urges Europe to ban Congo travel as Ebola cases top 600 ahead of World Cup

The United States has urged European governments to impose immediate travel bans on visitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as Ebola cases in the country surpass 600, raising fears of cross-border spread ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a statement released Wednesday, US health officials warned that the resurgence of the virus—now in its fourth month—poses a “serious and growing risk” to global health security, particularly as international travel peaks for the tournament in Germany.

The DRC’s latest Ebola outbreak, centered in North Kivu province, has already claimed 348 lives, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Local health workers report severe challenges in community outreach, with many residents refusing vaccination due to mistrust in government institutions amid widespread corruption. “This new flare-up reveals the state of deliquescence in the country,” said a senior official from Médecins Sans Frontières, speaking to *Libération* . The DRC, despite its mineral wealth, remains ill-equipped to contain the epidemic, with underfunded health systems and logistical hurdles impeding response efforts.

The US call for travel restrictions follows a pattern seen during previous Ebola crises, though the World Health Organization has repeatedly cautioned against blanket bans, arguing they often backfire by driving cases underground. European health ministers are expected to convene an emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday to assess the threat. Meanwhile, the WHO has dispatched additional teams to the DRC, including epidemiologists and logisticians, to bolster surveillance and case tracing.

The timing of the outbreak has heightened concerns, as the World Cup—set to begin in 11 days—could become a potential transmission vector. Germany, the host nation, has already implemented enhanced screening at major airports, though public health experts warn that such measures are “too little, too late.” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised its travel advisory for the DRC to Level 3, urging Americans to avoid non-essential travel to affected regions.

Beyond the immediate health crisis, the outbreak underscores broader systemic failures in the DRC, where decades of conflict and governance failures have eroded public trust. “The epidemic is not just a health emergency—it is a symptom of deeper societal collapse,” said a Congolese epidemiologist quoted in *Libération* . International aid agencies are calling for urgent funding and political commitment to address both the outbreak and its root causes.

As temperatures rise across Europe—prompting the WHO to warn of increasing heat-related deaths—the continent now faces a dual health challenge: managing a potential Ebola importation while grappling with the impacts of climate change. The WHO’s European director, Dr. Hans Kluge, emphasized the need for “proactive measures” to protect vulnerable populations from both infectious diseases and extreme weather .