Few diseases spread fear more than Ebola. COVID at its peak may have come close, but Ebola instills a dread closer to that of the Black Plaque of Medieval Europe—even though the risk is not high.
Ebola is a virus, actually a family of viruses, with the main species being Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo. It is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is spread from specific animals to humans but also humans to humans though it requires direct contact with infected bodily fluids or blood (as well as infected corpses or contaminated materials). It is not spread like COVID or flu by random airborne exposure. Once a patient becomes symptomatic then that person is infectious.
The current outbreak, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Uganda so far have caused approximately 800 cases with just over 80 deaths. It continues to expand but the extent is unpredictable. It is the seventh major outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976, nearly simultaneously in the DRC (then called Zaire) and Sudan. Subsequent outbreaks in Africa have occurred in 1995 in the DRC; 2000 in Uganda; 2014 (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone—this was the largest outbreak recorded with 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths); 2018 in the DRC; 2021(in the DRC, Uganda and Guinea); and now in 2026 in the DRC and Uganda again. The current outbreak is due to the Bundibugyo variant, which was only identified in 2007. One American has been affected by this outbreak, a missionary doctor working in the DRC who is now recuperating in Germany. No cases have occurred in the United States.
The virus causes disease by infecting immune cells and organs, initially causing nonspecific symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It may progress to cause severe inflammation, leaking blood vessels which can lead to hemorrhage, low blood volume (“hypovolemia”), multiorgan failure and shock. The incubation period ranges from two to twenty-one days.
While the disease sounds terrible—and it is—the risk of catching it is quite low providing that you don’t visit hospitals in outbreak areas, care for the ill during an outbreak, you avoid funerals, avoid blood and bodily fluid contact, avoid eating bushmeat and handling dead animals.
There are treatments and there are immunizations. Treatment consists of supportive care and isolation, replacing lost fluids, correcting chemical imbalances, oxygen, blood pressure support and treatment of possible concurrent malaria or septic coinfections. This usually requires hospitalization and with the aid of specialist care. For the Zaire Ebola virus there are monoclonal antibodies which can be used in treatment, with the names Inmazeb and Ebanga. They don’t work for the Bundibugyo variant which is the cause of the current outbreak. Furthermore, there is a single dose immunization (vaccine) for the Zaire Ebola virus but doesn’t appear protective against Bundibugyo virus, neither. This makes this outbreak a bit more difficult to manage as the vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments are not for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, they are designed for the Zaire Ebola virus.
If you are going on Safari, or on a gorilla trek in Rwanda, the risk of getting Ebola is very low (close to zero). If you are traveling to Kigali, Volcanoes National Park (in Rwanda), visiting luxury lodges and on organized professional gorilla treks, don’t cancel your trip. They have no reported cases of disease. Parks already require tourists to stay their distance from gorillas, wear a mask if ill and they limit trek durations.
One downside of traveling to Uganda and the DRC is that returning travelers have to fly to Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), or John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to get Ebola screened.
The situation is in flux, and you should pay attention to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommendations which change as the situation demands. This outbreak continues to evolve and deserves your attention, so monitor your resources to keep you apprised. You face more serious concerns from malaria, road safety, traveler’s diarrhea and other basic travel medicine issues that you do from Ebola. Seeing a travel medicine specialist will help you avoid nearly all travel-related disease, or at least provide you with treatments to cope with the more annoying ones, and will keep you traveling healthy so you can enjoy your journey. With sensible precautions and a modicum of alertness, you will have a journey of a lifetime.
Safari Njema!
Dr. Spira
Alan Spira, MD, DTM&H, June, 2026
Call The Village Doctor at (650) 851-4747 or Contact us to learn more about the practice.
