Israel’s Health Ministry said Friday evening it is investigating a possible first Ebola case in the country. The patient, a man who returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo three days earlier, sought treatment after developing a fever and headache. Officials stressed that this is still only a suspicion. He has been hospitalized in isolation at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, which the ministry designated as the national referral center for suspected cases. The hospital said he is being treated in a dedicated negative-pressure room in the emergency department, fully separated from routine care.
The required tests are now underway, with results expected within 24 hours. At the same time, an epidemiological investigation is trying to identify anyone who may have been in contact with him. The ministry said its system had already been preparing for Ebola cases, with professional guidelines distributed, protective equipment stocked, early-detection mechanisms for returning travelers set up, and laboratory testing capacity established.
Ebola is a severe viral disease that can be fatal and is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, contaminated objects, or, in outbreak areas, infected wildlife and carcasses. Early symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain and sore throat, followed by digestive symptoms and sometimes bleeding. There is no proven cure. The current outbreak in northeastern Congo began in May 2026 in Ituri and is the country’s 17th since the virus was first identified in 1976. It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17.
The WHO has said evidence that Merck’s Ervebo vaccine protects against Bundibugyo is very limited, and its scientific advisory group said it should not be used outside controlled research for the current outbreak. CEPI recently funded work to accelerate three vaccine candidates from IAVI, Moderna and Oxford University, though the Oxford candidate may only be ready for clinical efficacy evaluation in two to three months. Congo has reported 837 confirmed cases and 196 confirmed deaths, most of them in Ituri, with cases also confirmed in Uganda. The WHO rates the risk as very high nationally in Congo, high regionally and low globally.
In response, Israel’s Interior Ministry has temporarily barred entry to non-citizens and non-residents who were in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, following a Health Ministry request that also named Rwanda and Kenya as higher-risk countries. Several other countries have imposed their own Ebola-related entry or screening measures. The Health Ministry said travelers returning from Congo or Uganda who develop fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days should stay home, avoid contact with others and call the ministry hotline 5400* after saying they were in an Ebola area.
