World Cup hosts agree steps to counter Ebola threat after WHO declares public health emergency ​of international concern.

The United States, ⁠Mexico and Canada ⁠have announced aligned public health travel measures for people coming from African regions at the greatest risk from Ebola as they aim to protect citizens and visitors during the World Cup, which begins next month.

“The health and safety ⁠of every person in the region remains our highest priority as we welcome the world to North America,” they said in a joint statement on Thursday that did not detail the aligned measures.

The World Health Organization on May 17 ‌declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern and said there was a high risk it could spread to neighbouring countries.

The decision has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment measures.

Washington last week banned noncitizens who had travelled to the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ⁠in recent weeks from entering the US. ⁠On Friday, the ban was extended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to green card holders who have been in those countries in the previous 21 days.

Canada ⁠has banned residents from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan from entering the country for 90 ⁠days. The ban started on Wednesday.

Canadian citizens, permanent ⁠residents and other foreign nationals who have been in affected areas in recent weeks and do not have symptoms will have to quarantine for 21 days from Saturday, according ‌to a statement from Canada’s Public Health Agency.

Mexican Health Secretary David Kershenovich on Monday outlined tighter Ebola screening measures at airports, urging the public ‌to ‌avoid travel to the DRC and asking arrivals from the country to observe a 21-day quarantine.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/5/28/us-mexico-canada-announce-ebola-related-travel-measures-for-world-cup?traffic_source=rss

DRC battles Bundibugyo strain as confirmed cases rise to 121, with 17 deaths and 246 suspected fatalities reported.

The chief of the United Nations health agency is travelling to Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has been hit the “hardest” as authorities battle to contain the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak.

“I want you to know that you are not alone,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a lengthy and heartfelt message published on X on Thursday.

Tedros also addressed health workers in the eastern province, where the first case was recorded and 90 percent of patients are being treated, hailing them as the “backbone of this response”.

“I am coming to Bunia [the capital of Ituri province]. I will be there in person, alongside my colleagues, meeting your leaders, listening to your concerns, and doing everything in my power to help you,” Tedros said.

His comments come as authorities in DRC rush to stop the spread of the disease. Latest government figures show 121 confirmed cases so far, including 17 confirmed deaths. Data also shows 246 suspected fatalities and 1,077 suspected cases. Authorities estimate the number of casualties to be higher.

Most previous Ebola outbreaks in DRC were caused by a virus called Ebola Zaire, for which there are vaccines and treatments. This outbreak is caused by a different strain called Bundibugyo, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.

On Thursday, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said work is being done to develop a vaccine. “What we can tell you for sure, by the end of this year, 2026, Africa CDC will make sure that we have a vaccine and medicine against Bundibugyo,” Jean Kaseya told reporters.

Separately, aid workers rushed supplies to Ituri on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

A cargo plane with aid donated by the European Union delivered masks, gloves, boots and medications – all of which are in short supply – to the northeastern town of Bunia at the heart of the outbreak. More EU aid is expected to arrive in batches over the next eight days, Jerome Kouachi, head of emergency operations at UNICEF in Congo, told AP.

Health workers with scant supplies have been struggling to contain the outbreak. In some areas, doctors have resorted to wearing expired medical masks while treating suspected patients. Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by public anger at stringent medical protocols for dealing with victim’s bodies, as well as armed groups in a volatile region.

The WHO’s Tedros made a direct appeal to the armed groups in eastern DRC which have vied for power for years: “Please, declare a ceasefire. Even briefly. Even just enough to let health workers through.” Medics have been struggling to implement health measures amid distrust of authorities by locals, and attacks on health centres.

“The government is calling on the locals to respect health guidance because they can only win this battle when they work together with the people,” said Al Jazeera’s Chris Ocamringa, reporting from the capital, Kinshasa. The government is mobilising all resources available to curb the spread of the virus, including the release of $20m.

The US announced on Thursday that it was allocating an additional $80m to help combat Ebola in DRC and neighbouring Uganda. With the new funding, total US aid amounts to $112m since the outbreak began, the State Department said in a press release.

Regional countries are also on high alert, stepping up surveillance and preventative measures.

On Thursday, the Africa CDC said it confirmed eight Ebola cases in Uganda, including one dead. Earlier, the country ordered the closure of borders for at least four weeks.

Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at the Ugandan Health Ministry, said a growing number of cases among health workers had been confirmed, as they were most often the ones interacting with Ebola patients.

In Kenya, two US officials told the Reuters news agency that local authorities had given written approval for the US to open a quarantine facility at an air force base in Laikipia for US citizens exposed to the outbreak.

In a joint statement, the US, Canada and Mexico also announced public health travel measures for people arriving from African regions considered at greater risk from Ebola.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/28/who-chief-heads-to-hardest-hit-ituri-as-drcs-17th-ebola-outbreak-spreads?traffic_source=rss

At least 16 students were killed and dozens injured after a fire tore through the dormitory of a girls’ boarding school in Kenya’s Rift Valley early Thursday. Panicked parents gathered outside the school searching for their children hours after the blaze was extinguished.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/5/28/fire-kills-16-students-at-kenyan-girls-boarding-school?traffic_source=rss