- El Salvador's migration authorities denied a special entry permit to CNN journalist Larry Madowo, a Kenyan citizen, citing an Ebola-related health restriction
- The ban covers travellers arriving from or transiting through eight African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and the DRC, where the outbreak originated
- El Salvador joins the US, Mexico, and other countries in restricting travel despite WHO warnings against such measures
El Salvador has imposed an entry ban on travellers from Kenya and seven other African countries in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
CNN journalist Larry Madowo is among the first to be publicly affected after his application for a special entry permit was refused.
A decision reviewed by this newsroom shows that El Salvador's migration authorities rejected the application filed on behalf of Madowo, a Kenyan national, on the basis of a health directive prohibiting the entry of persons arriving from or transiting through Kenya.
The refusal cites Article 13, paragraph 3, of El Salvador's Special Law on Migration and Foreigners, which authorises the Directorate General to permit or deny the entry, transit, stay, and departure of foreign nationals.
Eight African Countries Affected
The restriction draws on Official Letter No. 2026-6000-055 issued by El Salvador's Ministry of Health and signed by Minister Dr Francisco José Alabi Montoya.
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The letter designates Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda as countries whose travellers will be "declared inadmissible and will be denied entry to the country."
Of those eight nations, the DRC remains the worst affected by far.
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), current as of October 20, records 9,552 confirmed cases and 4,602 deaths there, making it the deadliest Ebola outbreak in the country's history according to the United Nations. Active transmission continues in North Kivu, Ituri, and Haut-Uélé provinces.
Kenya confirmed its first case in October. A Kenyan citizen living in the DRC travelled home via Uganda on October 3, and the case was reported on October 6.
The patient died after hospitalisation, with further cases identified among close relatives and three health workers who were quarantined following contact with him.
The CDC puts Kenya's confirmed case count at nine and one death as of October 20.
Uganda, also listed in the El Salvador directive, had 20 confirmed cases and two deaths by late June, including five infections among health workers. The outbreak there was declared over in late August after the last confirmed patient left care on July 16.
Global Spread and International Response
The Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, began in Ituri Province in eastern DRC. The earliest known suspected case involved a man who fell ill on April 24, 2026 and died three days later.
The World Health Organization declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern in mid-May. No approved vaccine or treatment exists specifically for the Bundibugyo strain.
Cases have since been reported beyond the African continent. The CDC records one case in France, where the patient has recovered.
The Netherlands reported the medical evacuation of a health worker who tested positive while working on the outbreak response in the DRC.
On October 21, the WHO confirmed it was supporting Nigeria after the country reported its first case, involving a woman who had recently travelled from Uganda.
El Salvador is among several countries to have imposed travel restrictions, joining the United States, Mexico, and others that introduced entry bans or enhanced screening earlier this year.
The WHO has urged governments to reconsider such measures, warning they can discourage transparency and hinder the international response.
Source: TUKO.co.ke