US citizen tests positive for Ebola in Congo
[July 13, 2026]
By JEAN-YVES KAMALE and MONIKA PRONCZUK
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian
organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, as the
Central African country struggles to contain the swelling outbreak.
The CDC said it was working with the person’s employer, U.S. agencies,
the public health authorities and Congolese partners to prevent further
transmission and identify close contacts. It did not provide any further
details.
Earlier this week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
said that the outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever
recorded on the continent, with 1,830 confirmed cases in Congo,
including 648 deaths. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring
Uganda.
In the first week of the outbreak, an American doctor working in Congo
tested positive for the virus and was transferred to Germany for
treatment.
Initially, Trump administration officials had said that the United
States was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while
abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. But the
project has been suspended after an order from a Kenyan court.
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 The Congolese authorities declared a
fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been
transmitting for weeks without official detection, according to the
World Health Organization
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo
virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding
gap, attacks on health centers and an ongoing conflict in eastern
Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers
launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the
virus.
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