IAH chosen for Ebola screenings of travelers from Africa

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is now part of a federal Ebola screening push aimed at travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said those passengers will have to go through health screenings when they arrive at IAH.

For most Houston travelers, the practical impact should be limited. The federal restrictions apply to people tied to those countries, not to ordinary domestic passengers or the airport’s broader international traffic. Airlines are being asked to identify recent travelers from the affected countries and alert authorities, which means the screening process will depend on airline, airport and federal coordination at the point of arrival.

The federal action took effect for flights departing after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 20, 2026. Cargo-only flights and crews were excluded. The Federal Register notice said flights carrying recently traveled passengers must be routed to a U.S. airport where public health resources are being focused, and the government’s airport screening effort began at Washington-Dulles International Airport before expanding to Houston.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said May 18 that no suspected, probable or confirmed Ebola cases had been reported in the United States and that the domestic risk remained low. Even so, the agency said enhanced entry screening is part of a layered approach to slow the disease’s spread into the country. The CDC said Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and described the virus involved in this outbreak as especially concerning because there is no vaccine or treatment for it.

The World Health Organization said the outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus disease, a species of Ebola. WHO first received an alert May 5 about an unknown high-mortality illness in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak May 15. WHO said prior Bundibugyo outbreaks have had case fatality rates ranging from 30% to 50% and that early supportive care can be lifesaving.

The State Department said May 19 that it activated a dedicated Ebola Response Task Force within hours of confirmation and mobilized $23 million in bilateral foreign assistance for surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk communication, safe burials, entry and exit screening and clinical case management. For Houston, the larger issue is not an outbreak at home but the role of IAH as a major international gateway now folded into a containment plan meant to keep an overseas emergency from becoming a domestic one.