US-bound plane diverts to Canada over Ebola alert

An Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal on Wednesday after a passenger from the Democratic Republic of the Congo boarded in error amid Ebola-related travel restrictions. US Customs and Border Protection stated the passenger, who traveled from Paris, violated entry rules requiring travelers from DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan to enter the US only through Washington, DC. The flight was denied entry to Detroit and rerouted to Montreal, where Canadian health officials confirmed the passenger was asymptomatic and had already returned to Paris. The Department of Homeland Security announced stricter screening measures, requiring US-bound citizens and permanent residents who visited DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days to enter only through Washington Dulles International Airport. This follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak—a rare Bundibugyo strain with no vaccine—as a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak has spread undetected, with 148 suspected deaths and nearly 600 cases, including two confirmed cases in neighboring Uganda. Health workers face significant challenges in containing the virus, particularly in conflict-ridden eastern DR Congo, where inadequate facilities and local customs—such as burial practices—complicate efforts. On Thursday, protesters set fire to an Ebola treatment center in Bunia after being blocked from retrieving a deceased local’s body, reflecting tensions between public health measures and community resistance. The WHO director-general warned the outbreak could last at least two months, with the true scale likely much larger than reported figures. The Bundibugyo strain, less common than other Ebola variants, has spread rapidly due to delayed detection and limited healthcare infrastructure. Aid groups and authorities struggle to manage safe burials, as families often protest when bodies are handled by officials rather than returned for traditional rites. Meanwhile, the diversion of the Air France flight underscores heightened global vigilance against Ebola’s potential spread, with travel restrictions and enhanced screening now in place for high-risk travelers.