Suspected Ebola Patient Hospitalized in Haifa
A man is currently hospitalized at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, suspected of having contracted Ebola after a recent trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This comes amidst an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the virus affecting the DRC and Uganda, as announced by the Health Ministry on Friday.
The individual is isolated for treatment, and efforts are being made to trace and notify anyone who might have been in contact with him.
As of Saturday afternoon, there hasn’t been a confirmation of the disease. The Health Ministry stated that the man is still undergoing tests, with results anticipated in about 48 hours.
Ebola is not transmitted through the air; it spreads through direct contact with a symptomatic person, their blood, or other bodily fluids.
Footage aired by the Kan public broadcaster shows medical personnel from Magen David Adom being disinfected after attending to the suspected patient.
Israel’s health authorities have been preparing for the possibility of Ebola cases since an outbreak was first noted in the DRC in May 2026.
The Health Ministry had indicated earlier this month that the risk of a Bundibugyo outbreak was low. Nevertheless, protective gear has been distributed to hospitals for the safe handling of suspected cases. Moreover, they have advised hospitals to set up specialized areas for potential Ebola patients and provided guidelines to medical teams about handling such cases.
While Israel has never confirmed an Ebola case, there have been several suspected cases in the past that turned out negative during a 2014 outbreak.
The ministry also suggests avoiding unnecessary travel to regions in the DRC and Uganda where Ebola cases have been documented. Travelers returning from these areas who develop fever or other unusual symptoms within 21 days are urged to isolate themselves and contact the ministry immediately.
The current outbreak in the DRC and Uganda has claimed over 200 lives in its initial month. It is the most severe outbreak at this early stage, with an estimated 35,000 potential contacts. Thus far, there have been 894 confirmed cases, tripling the count from a previous outbreak in Uganda in 2000.
Doctors believe the actual number of cases could be higher since the outbreak was officially acknowledged weeks after it was suspected to have started. The case count has increased by 38 percent since last week, spanning 32 health zones in eastern Congo.
The Bundibugyo strain, responsible for this outbreak, lacks approved vaccines or treatments. The more frequently encountered Zaire virus, which has vaccines available, has caused most of the DRC’s past outbreaks.
So far, 74 patients have recovered, and experimental treatments are being tried, including monoclonal antibodies. The outbreak mainly affects the eastern province of Ituri, which has over 90% of the cases, but has also spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, with 19 confirmed cases in Uganda and two fatalities.
Contact tracing remains a challenge due to the region’s remote location and ongoing security issues. Currently, only about 4,000 of the estimated 17,000 to 35,000 contacts have been successfully tracked, according to health officials.
“We are still far from controlling the situation of this outbreak,” a medical epidemiologist from Africa CDC remarked.
