Increased surveillance measures for passengers returning to Italian airports from DRC and Uganda.
Italy has introduced enhanced health surveillance measures in response to the outbreak of Ebola, driven by the Bundibugyo virus, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The precautionary measures relate to returning personnel from governmental, non-governmental and aid organisations deployed in the affected area.
The Italian health ministry said the meaures were being introduced in line with “maximum caution”, given the “uncertainties regarding the scale and geographic spread of this outbreak, the potential severity of the infection, and the lack of approved specific treatments or vaccines”.
Outbreak
The epidemic was declared by the DRC authorities last week. At least 131 deaths have been reported in the DRC as a result of the virus, with more than 513 cases suspected, local officials said on Tuesday.
The outbreak is the country’s 17th since 1976. The most recent previous Ebola outbreak dated to September 2025, in the Kasai province, where it claimed 45 lives among 64 confirmed cases. Unlike the Zaire strain, no approved vaccine or specific therapy exists for Bundibugyo virus; the response relies entirely on supportive care, contact tracing, infection prevention and community engagement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the ongoing outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern however it fails to meet its criteria for a pandemic emergency.
The outbreak’s epicentre is the northeastern Ituri province in the DRC, a heavily frequented mining area with more than 273,000 internally displaced people. Its proximity to Uganda and South Sudan increases the risk of regional spread and cross-border transmission. One person has also died in Uganda, where imported cases have been confirmed.
Italy’s measures
The health ministry on Tuesday issued a circular activating health surveillance for all workers – both medical and non-medical – returning to Italy after operating in the affected zones, covering in particular Ituri province in the DRC and Uganda, where imported cases have been confirmed.
Governmental and non-governmental organisations employing personnel in the affected areas are required to notify the health ministry at least 48 hours before a worker’s return to Italy, providing details of the individual, their travel itinerary and entry point into Italy.
They must also submit a declaration – signed by the organisation’s legal representative or project manager – confirming that the individual shows no symptoms at the time of departure and has not been exposed to probable or confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus in the 21 days prior to travel. Workers are also required to carry a printed medical questionnaire on board, updating it with temperature readings taken during stopovers.
During the flight
If a passenger arriving from an at-risk area develops symptoms compatible with Ebola during the flight – such as fever, vomiting, weakness or bleeding – they must immediately notify the cabin crew. In such cases, the aircraft may only land at the designated health airports of Fiumicino in Rome or Malpensa in Milan, where procedures established by the Maritime, Air and Border Health Offices (USMAF) will be activated. Airlines are required to promptly report any suspected cases of infectious disease on board to USMAF, and to collect Passenger Locator Forms (PLF) from all passengers to enable contact tracing.
On arrival in Italy
If the returning worker is asymptomatic on arrival, they must wait at the exit gate for USMAF staff to verify the medical questionnaire and take their temperature. If the check is clear, the questionnaire is forwarded to health authorities to activate surveillance. If a fever or other symptoms are detected, the USMAF emergency protocol is triggered and immediate contact tracing begins. For those returning by means other than air travel, the relevant local health authority (ASL) will contact the individual to conduct a clinical assessment and, where necessary, temperature measurement.
As an additional precaution, the circular recommends activating low-risk contact surveillance even for people returning to Italy from at-risk areas who have reported no exposure in the preceding 21 days, or for whom it is impossible to establish whether any exposure occurred.
No pandemic alarm in Italy
The health ministry has stressed that there is no pandemic alarm in Italy. The WHO has recommended that member states refrain from closing their borders or imposing travel and trade restrictions, which it considers scientifically unfounded and harmful to local economies. Countries are instead urged to provide accurate information to travellers and to facilitate the evacuation and repatriation of their nationals who have been exposed to the virus.
Italy’s measures are in line with these international guidelines, reactivating a surveillance framework already tested during previous epidemic emergencies, with the stated objective of intercepting any imported cases promptly and preventing secondary transmission on Italian territory.
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