The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling a converging health crisis on two fronts while the United States tightens its borders: anthrax has killed 28 hippopotamuses along the Semuliki River in Virunga National Park even as the nation grapples with the second-largest Ebola epidemic on record, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has mandated new screening protocols for all passengers arriving from Congo, Business Insider Africa reported.
This triple pressure—human disease, wildlife mortality, and international travel restrictions—marks a critical juncture for an outbreak that has already claimed more than 5,100 lives and infected over 10,000 people, according to figures cited by Business Insider Africa. This shows how zoonotic diseases and viral hemorrhagic fevers can simultaneously overwhelm public health systems, harm wildlife conservation, and disrupt global travel.
Anthrax Kills 28 Hippos as Residents Fear “Mass Deaths” Along the Semuliki
Laboratory tests confirmed that the bacterium Bacillus anthracis killed 28 hippopotamuses over roughly one month in eastern Congo’s Virunga National Park. Local resident Michael Kambale told Al Jazeera, “It was in mid-September that we began to notice the mass deaths of hippos in the Semuliki River. We have started to fear this situation, which is unfolding whilst we are in the midst of the Ebola outbreak.”
Virunga National Park issued a stark warning in a press release sent to Al Jazeera: “This disease can be transmitted to humans through contact with a dead or sick animal or by consuming its meat.” Authorities cautioned that anthrax spores can persist in the soil for decades, creating a persistent environmental hazard that could spread to human populations long after the initial outbreak subsides.
CDC Routes Congo Travel Through Four Designated Airports
To prevent international spread of Ebola, the CDC introduced heightened screening measures requiring all airline passengers flying into the United States to complete digital or paper attestations confirming whether they traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo within the preceding 21 days. The restrictions apply to international passengers as well as U.S. citizens returning from affected areas.
The California Department of Public Health detailed that all persons with recent travel to DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan must have their air travel re-routed to arrive at Washington-Dulles International Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or John F. Kennedy International Airport. There, travelers undergo exposure risk assessment and symptom screening before continuing to their final destinations. South Sudan is included due to the large numbers of people who travel freely between the neighboring countries.
The CDC issued a Level 3 travel advisory—reconsider non-essential travel—for affected provinces in DRC and a Level 2 advisory for the rest of the country and Uganda, while confirming that no cases linked to this outbreak have been reported in the United States. Health officials noted the active strain has a high fatality rate and lacks an approved vaccine or specific medical treatment, making rapid identification at borders essential. The CDC and Department of Homeland Security have also issued entry restrictions on non-U.S. passport holders who have traveled in affected countries.
Survivors Enter Isolation Wards to Comfort Children Barred from Parents
Inside hospitals in Congo, recovered Ebola patients have stepped into isolation units to care for infected children who cannot be touched by their own parents because relatives are prohibited from entering isolation units. Jerkis Mahamba, 29, who recovered after spending 18 days in treatment, works to comfort frightened children in the ward.
Wearing protective gear, these survivors feed, hold, and play games with young patients while serving as critical community ambassadors challenging stigma and misinformation. Dr. Toussaint Selemani, head of the hospital centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières, told Reuters, “At the community level, a survivor can become a powerful ambassador in the fight against the disease.”
Case Counts Diverge as Bundibugyo Strain Adds Complexity
While Business Insider Africa cites more than 10,000 cases and 5,100 deaths for the ongoing epidemic, the California Department of Public Health reported different figures for the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak that DRC and Uganda officially declared on May 15, 2026: as of June 15, DRC had recorded 808 confirmed cases and 192 deaths, while Uganda reported 19 confirmed cases, two confirmed deaths, and one probable death. CDPH noted that no suspected, probable, or confirmed cases related to these outbreaks had been reported within the United States or California as of that date, and that the CDC assessed the immediate risk to the general U.S. public as low.
Symptoms of Ebola disease typically begin eight to 10 days after exposure, initially including fever, severe headache, muscle aches, and fatigue, before progressing to diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. On June 5, the CDC issued travel monitoring guidance to state and local health departments for individuals returning from affected countries.
As the anthrax spores persist in the soil and U.S. airports screen arrivals, Mahamba continues his work in the isolation ward, telling each child, “I introduce myself and tell them, I went through this too. I ask them not to lose hope.”
