The Health Ministry announced Sunday that a second individual suspected of contracting Ebola after returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was being transferred to Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv for testing.
The ministry stressed it had not been confirmed the man contracted the disease, and it was conducting tests, the results of which were expected in the coming days.
The ministry added that it was completing an epidemiological investigation to trace relevant contacts and examine potential links between the suspected cases.
Contact tracing was also being carried out. Anyone who does not receive a communication from the ministry is not required to take any action at this stage.
The announcement came just two days after the ministry said that a different man suspected of contracting Ebola was sent in for testing at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa following a recent trip to the DRC. The results of the tests had not yet been published as of Sunday.
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In its Sunday statement, the ministry reminded the public that Ebola is not airborne, and transmission occurs through direct contact with a symptomatic individual or with blood, body fluids, or secretions.
Health workers attend to an Ebola patient at the Rwampara treatment Center in Ituri, Congo, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
The ministry has distributed personal protective equipment to medical centers and established early identification mechanisms for travelers returning from affected areas. A system for laboratory identification of Ebola infections has been set up.
The ministry reiterated its call to the public to avoid nonessential travel to regions with active Ebola transmission, primarily the DRC and Uganda. In the event of travel to these regions, it is recommended to obtain specific consultation in advance at a travel clinic, in accordance with the guidelines on the Health Ministry website.
Israel’s health sector has been preparing for the possibility of treating Ebola patients since an outbreak was first reported in the DRC on May 15, 2026.
There has never been a confirmed case of Ebola in Israel, according to the Health Ministry, although there were several suspected cases that turned out to be negative during a previous outbreak in 2014.
The current outbreak in the DRC and Uganda has claimed more than 200 lives in its first month, and is the worst known outbreak at this stage, with up to 35,000 suspected potential contacts, Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
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