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Air France plane headed for the USA diverted to Canada mid-air because of Ebola fears
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An Air France plane headed for Detroit was diverted to Canada after a passenger who had recently visited East Africa was allowed on board in error despite Ebola restrictions.
The destination of the flight was changed in mid-air amid fears that the passenger could have been exposed to the deadly virus.
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the current Ebola outbreak in East Africa an ‘emergency’ and said that it is of international concern.
That’s because the strain at the center of this latest incident is one for which there is no vaccine, as well as the cases being found in an area of conflict.
The WHO has also suggested that the virus outbreak could be spreading faster than was originally believed.
Now, an Air France plane bound for the USA has been forced to change its destination in the air because a passenger who has recently been in the area of the outbreak was allowed on board.
How did the passenger get on board?
The flight, which was diverted to Montreal, was carrying a passenger who Air France said was permitted to board ‘in error’ following a recent trip to East Africa.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said: "Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane.
"CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal, Canada."
It is not yet known whether the passenger in question had any symptoms.
The flight reportedly landed in Canada at around 5:15PM local time.
The passenger was then removed from the plane and the aircraft continued its journey onwards to Detroit, where it touched down at around 8:00PM.
Why was the Air France flight diverted?
The US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, as well as the Department for Homeland Security, recently announced a 30-day halt to travel for non-US passport holders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda.
That ban came into force on May 18.
All travellers who have departed from airports in those nations or visited them within 21 days have also been subject to screenings.
The Congolese passenger aboard this flight was refused entry to the USA, Air France confirmed.
Reports suggest that cabin crew wore masks after learning of the incident.
A statement from Air France reads: "Under new regulations, passengers arriving from certain countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, may only enter US territory via Washington (IAD) Airport.
"There was no medical emergency on board, and like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves."
How bad is this latest Ebola outbreak?
The WHO has confirmed as of Wednesday that 51 cases have been verified so far in the northern provinces of DR Congo, as well as two cases in Uganda.
So far, there have been 139 suspected deaths and around 600 suspected cases.
The concern from the WHO is that the outbreak could be spreading at a greater speed than previously thought, and that this strain is one without a vaccine.
The current Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda - everything we know so far
What it is
Ebola is a severe and often fatal illness in humans and other primates, caused by viruses in the Filoviridae family (genus Orthoebolavirus). It was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are several species, but the ones known to cause human outbreaks are Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus, and Bundibugyo ebolavirus.
Case fatality rates have historically ranged up to roughly 90% depending on species and the quality of care available.
How it spreads
Ebola is a zoonotic virus, with fruit bats considered the most likely natural reservoir.
Once it jumps to humans, it spreads through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated by such fluids.
It does not spread through the air, water, or mosquitoes.
Crucially, people cannot transmit the disease before they show symptoms, and they remain infectious as long as their blood contains the virus.
Healthcare workers and family members caring for the sick - along with mourners participating in traditional burial practices involving contact with the body - are at highest risk.
The virus can also persist for months in survivors in immune-privileged sites such as the testes, eyes and brain, and transmission via infected semen has been documented up to fifteen months after clinical recovery.
Incubation period
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus.
On average, people begin showing symptoms 8 to 10 days after exposure.
Symptoms
Clinicians often describe the progression in two phases.
Early ('dry') symptoms — appearing abruptly:
- Sudden high fever
- Severe fatigue and weakness
- Muscle pain and aches
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Chills and malaise
Later ('wet') symptoms — typically after 4–5 days of illness:
- Vomiting and nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Abdominal pain
- Skin rash (often a maculopapular rash around day 5–7)
- Red eyes (conjunctival injection)
- Impaired kidney and liver function
- Unexplained bleeding or bruising — from the gums, nose, injection sites, or internally
- In severe cases, shock and multi-organ failure
Other symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, hiccups and seizures.
Because the early signs mimic malaria, typhoid and influenza, Ebola is notoriously hard to identify in its first days without laboratory testing.
Treatment
There is no universal cure, but supportive care - IV fluids, electrolyte balance, oxygen, and treatment of complications - significantly improves survival.
For Zaire ebolavirus, WHO recommends treatment with the monoclonal antibodies mAb114 (ansuvimab) or REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).
Two licensed vaccines (Ervebo and a Zabdeno/Mvabea regimen) exist for Zaire ebolavirus.
The current outbreak in DR Congo (May 2026)
This is a fast-moving and unusually difficult outbreak, for the reasons set out below.
Timeline and scale
- On 5 May 2026, WHO was alerted to a cluster of severe illness, including deaths among healthcare workers, in Mongbwalu Health Zone, Ituri Province.
- On 15 May 2026, the DRC Ministry of Health confirmed the outbreak, with 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths reported at that point.
- On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak — caused by Bundibugyo virus and now affecting both DRC and Uganda — a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
- As of 19 May 2026, more than 500 suspected cases and 130 deaths had been reported in DRC, with 30 cases laboratory-confirmed.
- As of 20 May 2026, the outbreak had been reported in 11 health zones across Ituri Province and Nord-Kivu Province.
- This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976. The previous outbreak ended in December 2025 - only about five months before this one began.
The strain involved
This outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).
It is generally less likely to cause death than other Ebola species, but it is still extremely dangerous and, critically, there are no vaccines or therapeutics licensed specifically for Bundibugyo virus.
The existing Ebola vaccines (Ervebo, Zabdeno/Mvabea) target Zaire ebolavirus and are not proven against this strain.
Experts are reportedly discussing whether to deploy them off-label.
Geographic spread and complications
- Most cases are concentrated in Ituri Province in north-eastern DRC.
- One case has been confirmed in Goma, a major city in North Kivu Province currently under the control of the March 23 Movement, which complicates the public-health response in a region already affected by armed conflict.
- Uganda has reported two imported cases linked to travel from DRC, including a Congolese man who died in Kampala.
- Ituri has more than 273,000 displaced people, with around 1.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, meaning the outbreak is unfolding in an area already grappling with crisis and population movement.
International response
- One American missionary physician working in DRC tested positive and is being medically evacuated to a special isolation facility in Germany, along with six high-risk contacts.
- The US CDC has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for DRC and a Level 1 notice for Uganda, and on 18 May 2026 implemented enhanced travel screening and entry restrictions.
- Uganda has temporarily banned handshakes, hugs and unnecessary physical contact as a precaution.
Why this outbreak is particularly worrying
Three factors set it apart: it involves a strain (Bundibugyo) for which no licensed vaccine or treatment exists; it had already reached hundreds of suspected cases by the time it was first reported, suggesting weeks of undetected transmission; and it is happening in an area with active armed conflict, large displaced populations, and a case already detected in a densely populated city (Goma) under non-state armed group control.