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Screening and monitoring of travellers returning from countries affected by Bundibugyo virus: an overview of European approaches, July 2026
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Jake Dunning1,2
,
Erica Binetti3
,
Arne B Brantsæter4
,
David Ekqvist5
,
Sabiena G Feenstra6
,
Jocelyn J Herstein7
,
David K Kayembe8
,
F-Xavier Lescure9,10
,
Agata Mikolajewska11
,
Annelies Mondelaers12,13
,
Marta Mora-Rillo9,14
,
Chantal Rovers15
,
Laura Scorzolini3
,
Corien M Swaan6
,
Francesco Vairo3
,
Erika Vlieghe12,13
,
Timo Wolf15
,
Luca Zweers16
,
Emanuele Nicastri3
,
on behalf of the European HLIU Network17
,
and of the ESCMID Emerging Infection Subcommittee18
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom 2 Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom 3 National Institute for Infectious Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani IRCCS, Rome, Italy 4 Department of Infectious Diseases and Department of Acute Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway 5 Clinical Department of Infectious Diseases in Östergötland, Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden 6 RIVM Centre for Infectious Disease Control, Bilthoven, the Netherlands 7 University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Omaha, Nebraska, United States 8 National Public Health Institute (INSP), Ministry of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 9 Emerging Infections Subcommittee, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Basel, Switzerland 10 Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department, APHP, Bichat Hospital and Université Paris Cité, INSERM, IAME, Paris, France 11 Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens (ZBS), Strategy and Incident Response (ZBS 7), Clinical Management and Infection Control (ZBS 7.1), Berlin, Germany 12 Department of General Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium 13 Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium 14 High Level Isolation Unit, La Paz University Hospital, IdiPAZ, CIBERINFEC, Madrid, Spain 15 Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine II, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, Germany 16 Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands 17 European High-Level Isolation Units (HLIU) Network, Europe 18 Emerging Infections Subcommittee, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), Basel, SwitzerlandCorrespondence:Erica Binettierica.binetti inmi.it
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Citation style for this article: Dunning Jake, Binetti Erica, Brantsæter Arne B, Ekqvist David, Feenstra Sabiena G, Herstein Jocelyn J, Kayembe David K, Lescure F-Xavier, Mikolajewska Agata, Mondelaers Annelies, Mora-Rillo Marta, Rovers Chantal, Scorzolini Laura, Swaan Corien M, Vairo Francesco, Vlieghe Erika, Wolf Timo, Zweers Luca, Nicastri Emanuele, on behalf of the European HLIU Network, and of the ESCMID Emerging Infection Subcommittee. Screening and monitoring of travellers returning from countries affected by Bundibugyo virus: an overview of European approaches, July 2026 . Euro Surveill. 2026;31(28):pii=2600578. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2600578 Received: 08 Jul 2026; Accepted: 16 Jul 2026
Abstract
The 2026 Ebola outbreak caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has prompted European countries and the United States to revise measures for travellers, healthcare workers and humanitarian personnel returning from affected areas. We compare current procedures and protocols with those implemented during the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak. Despite some national differences, policies have largely converged towards risk-based management, early case detection, rapid isolation, exposure-based monitoring and healthcare preparedness, rather than routine border screening.
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2026-07-16
2026-08-11
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Screening and monitoring of travellers returning from countries affected by Bundibugyo virus: an overview of European approaches, July 2026
<p class="citation">
<span>Citation style for this article:</span>
<span class="meta-value authors">
<a href="/search?value1=Jake+Dunning&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Dunning Jake</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Erica+Binetti&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Binetti Erica</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Arne+B+Brants%C3%A6ter&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Brantsæter Arne B</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=David+Ekqvist&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ekqvist David</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Sabiena+G+Feenstra&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Feenstra Sabiena G</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Jocelyn+J+Herstein&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Herstein Jocelyn J</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=David+K+Kayembe&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kayembe David K</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=F-Xavier+Lescure&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Lescure F-Xavier</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Agata+Mikolajewska&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Mikolajewska Agata</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Annelies+Mondelaers&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Mondelaers Annelies</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Marta+Mora-Rillo&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Mora-Rillo Marta</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Chantal+Rovers&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Rovers Chantal</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Laura+Scorzolini&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Scorzolini Laura</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Corien+M+Swaan&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Swaan Corien M</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Francesco+Vairo&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Vairo Francesco</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Erika+Vlieghe&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Vlieghe Erika</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Timo+Wolf&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Wolf Timo</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Luca+Zweers&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Zweers Luca</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=Emanuele+Nicastri&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Nicastri Emanuele</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=on+behalf+of+the+European+HLIU+Network&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">on behalf of the European HLIU Network</a>,
<a href="/search?value1=and+of+the+ESCMID+Emerging+Infection+Subcommittee&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink"> and of the ESCMID Emerging Infection Subcommittee</a></span>.
Screening and monitoring of travellers returning from countries affected by Bundibugyo virus: an overview of European approaches, July 2026 .
<a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2026;31(28):pii=2600578.
<a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2600578" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2600578</a>
<span class="ES_Article_citation">
<span class="generated">Received</span>: 08 Jul 2026;
<span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 16 Jul 2026
</span>
</p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.28.2600578
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