Sudan tightens border controls over Ebola after regional outbreak
May 17, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudanese health authorities on Sunday announced stricter measures at borders and airports to prevent the entry of the Ebola virus following its outbreak in several neighbouring countries.
Ebola is a highly dangerous hemorrhagic fever transmitted through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Fatality rates range between 50% and 90% if left untreated.
The National Quarantine Administration said its director, Al-Fatih Rabie Abdullah, chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the implications of the virus’s emergence.
The meeting included the technical committee, regional quarantine directors, and officials from Port Sudan and Khartoum airports, as well as seaports and land crossings.
Officials at the meeting decided to mandate that travellers arriving from countries with documented cases of infection complete health data forms.
A health declaration form will also be distributed on board aircraft before landing, in coordination with airlines and relevant authorities.
The administration issued directives to the Red Sea sector to immediately provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers.
It stressed the importance of conducting urgent training courses for health workers, starting with quarantine teams, and drafting a comprehensive emergency plan to be approved and funded by the General Directorate of Emergencies and Epidemic Control.
Authorities confirmed that health screening areas in Port Sudan and Khartoum are ready to receive suspected cases, while isolation centres are being prepared in coordination with the relevant states.
The quarantine director briefed the emergency meeting on the importance of early preparation, emphasising the need to continuously update epidemiological data and enhance surveillance at entry points.
These measures follow an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in Ituri province, which borders several countries in the region. Hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths have been recorded in recent weeks.
The developments have raised fears of transmission due to active movement across the region, particularly given Sudan’s indirect geographic links through countries such as South Sudan and Uganda, which experience ongoing cross-border population movement.
Ebola is known as one of the deadliest viruses, causing thousands of deaths in Africa over recent decades despite advances in vaccines and treatment methods.