Israel’s Health Ministry is investigating a suspected Ebola case after a man who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo developed fever and headache, two early symptoms that can appear in Ebola infection. The patient was transferred to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, which has been designated to receive suspected high-risk infectious disease cases, and is being treated under strict isolation protocols.

There is no confirmed Ebola case in Israel at this stage, and the Health Ministry says the public does not need to take any action unless contacted directly. A full epidemiological investigation is underway to locate anyone who may have had relevant contact with the patient, while a sequence of laboratory tests is being carried out. Final results are expected after additional testing, not immediately.

Footage shows the intensity of the response, MDA and Rambam Hospital teams undergoing careful disinfection procedures around the evacuation and hospitalization process. Israeli reports also said the ambulance and medical teams involved were disinfected after the transfer. Rambam said the patient is being checked in a dedicated negative-pressure isolation room, meant to keep the case fully separated from regular emergency room activity.

The case comes as Ebola is spreading in the DRC and Uganda in an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rarer Ebola virus with no approved vaccine and no specific cure. Congo has reported hundreds of confirmed cases and deaths, while Uganda has reported a smaller number of linked cases. Health authorities say the outbreak is especially difficult to contain because it is unfolding in conflict-affected areas with displaced populations, strained hospitals and major challenges for contact tracing.

Ebola is frightening for good reason, but it is not like COVID or the flu. It does not spread through the air, and people are not infected simply by standing near someone. Transmission generally requires direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a sick person, or contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, needles or medical equipment. Symptoms can appear 2 to 21 days after exposure, often beginning with fever, severe headache, weakness, muscle pain or sore throat, and later worsening into vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes unexplained bleeding.

Israel has been preparing for this exact kind of imported-case scenario. The Health Ministry says it has distributed professional guidelines to hospitals and medical teams, stocked protective equipment, set up early detection mechanisms for travelers returning from affected areas, and established lab testing capacity for Ebola. Travelers returning from DRC or Uganda who develop fever or unusual symptoms within 21 days are being told to stay home, avoid contact with others and call the Health Ministry hotline at *5400 while clearly stating they were in an Ebola-affected area.