The Department of State, in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lead agency for the U.S. Government response, is actively responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The Department's first priority is the protection of Americans and the American homeland. The Department is working with interagency partners to evacuate, for medical treatment and/or quarantine and procedures, any affected American citizens. The Department is also working across our consular and travel operations to implement CDC's Title 42 order restricting entry of foreign nationals, of any nationality, who have been to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan in the last 21 days. The Department has issued updated Level 4 travel advisories for all three countries: no American citizens or permanent residents should travel to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan for any reason. Americans should remain vigilant of CDC guidelines on isolation and quarantine if they are departing the region.
The Department has also taken the following actions to support the interagency and global response to this outbreak:
A RAPID, INTEGRATED U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Within hours of confirmation of cases, the Department of State activated a dedicated Ebola Response Task Force, integrating expertise across the Department's Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response (DHR), Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), Bureau of Medical Services (MED), the CDC, and additional interagency partners. The Task Force is led by two senior experts with direct experience managing prior Ebola outbreaks, including the 2014 and 2018 responses, ensuring immediate operational readiness and proven leadership.
DEPLOYMENT OF DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM (DART)
To strengthen field coordination, the Department is deploying a DART to the DRC to support on-the-ground coordination with host governments and humanitarian partners. In parallel, U.S. global health experts are being co-located with CDC counterparts to accelerate integrated planning, information-sharing, and response execution across the U.S. Government.
EXPANDED HUMANITARIAN AND HEALTH ASSISTANCE
The Department is leveraging its enhanced foreign assistance capacities to ensure the on the ground response is fully resourced, rapid, and coordinated between key global health and humanitarian partners. Healthcare and humanitarian workers heading to the frontline should know that the United States supports them and is switftly mobilizing all available resources to assist frontline providers and response efforts.
