Second Suspected Ebola Case in Israel After Traveler Returns from Congo

Israel’s Health Ministry said a person who recently returned from Congo arrived for medical treatment with fever and diarrhea and is now in isolation over fears of Ebola. It is the second such suspected case since the weekend. The ministry stressed that this is still only a suspicion, and test results are expected within a few days.

At the same time, officials are carrying out an epidemiological investigation to identify, and possibly isolate, the contacts of both suspected cases, and are checking whether there is any link between them. The ministry noted that even if Ebola is confirmed in Israel, the risk to the general public is currently considered low.

The article says the World Health Organization has declared Ebola in Congo and Uganda an international emergency, while hospitals there are struggling with what appears to be the largest outbreak since the disease was discovered. As of now, 894 cases have been confirmed and 200 people have died, with the numbers rising sharply. The outbreak is made harder to control by poverty, weak infrastructure, war and population movement, and many contacts are not being monitored or isolated.

Ebola is transmitted through body fluids, not through airborne droplets, and is far less contagious than Covid, measles or influenza. Patients showing flu-like symptoms are usually not yet infectious, but later, in the so-called “wet” stage, vomiting and bleeding begin and contagion increases. The text says death rates range from 10% to 40% depending on treatment quality, and that Israel’s relatively strong care system means someone who sought help soon after symptoms appeared would likely recover. There is no vaccine for the current strain, although a vaccine exists for an earlier one. The CDC has allocated $107 million, while USAID cuts in early 2025 reduced staffing and epidemiological capacity in Africa.