Kinshasa, Congo — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that a US citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, as the central African country seeks to contain the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working with the person’s employer, U.S. agencies, public health authorities and Congolese partners to prevent further transmission and identify close contacts. No other details were provided.
Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 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.
A health worker prepares a patient’s blood sample for testing at Bunia General Hospital in Bunia, Congo, Thursday, June 11, 2026.
AP Photo/Musa Swasawa, file
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 said the United States planned to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya rather than flying them home. But the project was suspended after a Kenyan court order.
The Congolese authorities announced a new outbreak of the Ebola virus on May 15, after the disease had been transmitted for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.
Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers and ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Last week, clinical trials of the treatment began after researchers launched a long-awaited study in hopes of combating the virus.
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