The World Health Organization (WHO) was "a little late" in detecting the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He also slammed the organisation saying they "failed miserably" during the Covid pandemic and "covered for China" as the outbreak spread in 2020.
Although Ebola has not spread to American territory and there is still relatively little public risk, the United States has barred admission for non-US passport holders who have visited impacted locations within 21 days, as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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While slamming the WHO, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "The World Health Organization has unfortunately not done well around the world. I think they failed miserably during COVID. They covered for China.”
“Our number one objective on Ebola, before anything else... has to be we can't have it affect the United States. We can't have Ebola cases coming here," Fox News quoted Rubio as saying.
JUST IN: Secretary of State Marco Rubio slams the World Health Organization for "miserably" failing during the COVID-19 pandemic and covering for China, warning that the U.S. is aggressively restricting travel to block a surging Ebola outbreak from reaching American soil.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 21, 2026
"The… pic.twitter.com/d0njjz9ZcO
The United States has imposed emergency entry restrictions that prohibit non-U.S. passport holders from entering the nation if they have travelled to South Sudan, Uganda, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the preceding 21 days.
Using Title 42 public health authority, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued this interim order on May 18, 2026, and it will be in force for at least 30 days (until mid-June 2026).
The prohibition, however, does not apply to U.S. citizens, holders of green cards, or members of the armed forces. But at specific ports of entry, like Dulles International Airport, they have to go through a more thorough health examination.
For the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan, the U.S. State Department has raised its travel recommendations to Level 4: Do Not Travel. Level 3: Reconsider Travel has been assigned to Rwanda, as per the CDC.
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Due to a rapidly growing outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus strain, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency, which prompted the restrictions. In Central and East Africa, this uncommon strain has led to hundreds of illnesses and more than 130 fatalities.
When an American missionary doctor in the DRC tested positive for the virus, health officials hurried to ban the doctor's movements. The patient has been transported to Germany for highly specialist medical isolation and treatment, along with several exposed contacts.
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