Updated on: July 11, 2026 / 5:26 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
Add CBS News on Google
A U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, as the Central African country struggles to contain the swelling outbreak.The CDC said it was working with the person's employer, U.S. agencies, the public health authorities and Congolese partners to prevent further transmission and identify close contacts. It did not provide any further details.A State Department spokesperson told CBS News that it was "aware of this case" and was "actively facilitating support for the American citizen affected."Earlier this week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that the outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent, with 1,830 confirmed cases in Congo, including 648 deaths. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.In the first week of the outbreak, an American doctor working in Congo tested positive for the virus and was transferred to Germany for treatment. After weeks of care at a hospital in Germany, he recovered. He and his family, who were quarantined separately, returned to the United States in June. Initially, Trump administration officials had said that the United States was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. But the project has been suspended after an order from a Kenyan court.
