OTTAWA — The Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has grown into the third-largest ever documented globally, prompting Canada to introduce temporary border and immigration measures as international health authorities scale up their response.
The outbreak, DRC's 17th since Ebola was first identified in 1976, was confirmed on May 15, 2026, in Ituri Province and is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common Ebola species for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists. The two licensed Ebola vaccines target the more familiar Zaire strain and have not been established to offer cross-protection against Bundibugyo.
According to the latest data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, DRC's National Institute of Public Health has recorded 1,333 confirmed cases and 399 deaths, with 609 patients currently hospitalized in isolation and 189 recovered. The outbreak has spread beyond Ituri into North Kivu, South Kivu, and most recently Haut-Uélé provinces, with additional cases confirmed in the capital, Kinshasa. Neighbouring Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, and single imported cases have been managed under isolation in France and Germany.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. The United Nations has noted that the outbreak's first month saw the highest number of confirmed Ebola cases ever recorded in the first month of an outbreak in Africa, with the death toll reaching 250 in just 37 days, compared with 78 days during the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic and 130 days during the 2018-2020 DRC outbreak. On June 26, 2026, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention elevated its response to a Level One activation, its highest emergency classification, confirming the outbreak had surpassed 1,100 combined cases and become the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever documented, behind only those two prior events.
In response, the Government of Canada announced temporary border measures on May 26, 2026, citing both the evolving outbreak and the added travel volume expected during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Effective May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada suspended immigration documents, including visas, permits, and electronic travel authorizations, for residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan for a period of 90 days. Final decisions on affected applications are being paused during this window, though processing continues.
A second measure took effect May 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET: Canadian citizens, permanent residents, individuals registered under the Indian Act, and foreign nationals who have been in DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days are now assessed on arrival in Canada and, if asymptomatic, must quarantine for 21 days. Travellers showing symptoms are placed in isolation at a medical facility for 21 days from entry or symptom onset, whichever is later. Both sets of measures remain in effect until late August 2026.
"The health and safety of people in Canada is our top priority," the Public Health Agency of Canada said in its announcement, adding that the measures are intended to reduce the risk of Ebola entering the country while managing travellers based on their level of risk. Federal officials have said the risk to people in Canada remains low, with no cases of Ebola disease ever recorded in the country, and that the response is being coordinated.