The United States, Mexico, and Canada have introduced coordinated travel measures targeting regions most affected by the Ebola outbreak ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The new restrictions include enhanced screenings, quarantines, and entry limitations aimed at protecting millions of expected visitors, athletes, and fans as the tournament approaches across North America.
On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern.” The agency said the outbreak has not yet reached the level of a “pandemic emergency,” however, with case numbers increasing, at least 80 suspected deaths, and no approved vaccine, concerns are growing about how effectively the outbreak can be contained.
The disease is passed to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Signs and symptoms typically start between two days and three weeks after contracting the virus. Fever, sore throat, muscular pain, and headaches are early indicators. Vomiting, diarrhea, and rash usually follow.
Later stages of Ebola are marked by decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Soon afterwards, victims can start to bleed both internally and externally. For many, a slow, painful demise is inevitable—the disease has a high risk of death, killing between 25-90% of those infected, with an average death rate of about 50%, according to the WHO.
First identified in 1976, Ebola has since risen its ugly head on numerous occasions across several African countries. Click through the following gallery for a brief recent history of this awful disease.