Ebola outbreak: what Canadian employers need to know

"This is not the time for panic or grave anxiety, but it's not the time for complacency either," says Tim Sly, professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University.

"That's really the bottom line — Mother Nature has all kinds of ways to surprise you when you least expect it. So, we don't give her an inch because she'll take a mile."

The warning comes as the government of Canada moved on May 26, 2026 to introduce temporary border measures in response to an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with rising risks in Uganda and South Sudan. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — and experts say this particular outbreak is unlike anything seen before.

"Of all of the outbreaks we've looked at so far, this is by far the fastest," says Sly. "The scale and the rate of increase in cases is far going to exceed any of the others. And that's what's causing concern… the rate of increase since we’ve been observing it is what’s causing some sleepless nights in public health people around the world.”

Ottawa's response to Ebola

Effective May 27 at 23:59 EDT, the federal government suspended immigration documents for residents of the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan — meaning even those with previously approved temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations or permanent resident visas will not be allowed to travel to Canada while measures are in place, according to a Public Health Agency of Canada news release.

A second measure under the Quarantine Act, taking effect May 30 and running until Aug. 29, 2026, will require Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals who have been in those areas within the previous 21 days to quarantine for 21 days upon arrival, even if they have no symptoms. Travellers showing symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for assessment.

The government has also noted the timing of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a factor in the decision.

New strain, with no vaccine

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus — a strain for which there are no approved vaccines or specific treatments, according to the government's travel advisory. That distinction matters, according to Harris Ali, professor in the department of sociology at York University.

"These strains are quite different from each other in terms the shape and the geometric structure, what they call the morphology of the virus," he says. "And because the morphology is different, the vaccines that have been developed for other strains are not effective for this strain. Because they almost work like a lock and key kind of thing. And if the lock changes its configuration, the key doesn't fit anymore."

Sly adds that while research is underway, any potential vaccine has not yet been tested on humans. "It's got to be a few months before that can be fully released and used on humans to see if it's effective. So, we're a bit behind the game with that one,” he says.

“It’s really a case of vaccination to prevent new strains.”

Why Ebola outbreak accelerated

Part of the reason public health officials are playing catch-up is structural, says Ali. Outbreaks often begin in remote areas with limited health infrastructure, he explains, and spread through complex travel patterns before being detected.

"When it's in the remote areas, no one really notices. Then it gets to a smaller city like Goma — and Goma is actually a tourist kind of area too, which is another issue — then it starts to receive more attention, but it's already been circulating by the time it's identified."

The response and treatment is always problematic given the limited resources in those countries, and more recent funding cuts don’t help, says Ali, “with the United States cutting out the USAID stuff. So, there's a lot of difficulties and challenges at a material level."

At the moment, it’s a local epidemic, not a pandemic, but the conflict in northeastern Congo is further complicating efforts, says Sly.

"That northeastern area of Congo is full of militias and battles — Doctors Without Borders and other agencies aren't really fully established there,” he says. “The CDC isn't really on site as it would have been — it would have been there within 48 hours in the old days, but it's not even playing the game at the moment in full."

Should employees be traveling to the region?

For Canadian employers with operations in Central Africa — including mining companies and non-governmental organizations — the question is whether to send or recall staff.

Ali says the answer is fairly straightforward, for now: "If you can do your work without having to go there directly, then that would be the safest thing," he says.

Sly agrees but frames it as a situation to monitor closely rather than one requiring immediate action.

"If it turns out that it's very widely spread, or it's spreading to an area where a person's mine is or something like that, then yes, I think it would probably be ill advised to travel there," he says. "For employees coming back, ideally they would be screened either by the company involved, and also by the airline, which takes responsibility as well. And also, at the point of arrival, Health Canada should be monitoring."

The government of Canada's travel advisory currently sits at Level 3 — avoid non-essential travel — for the DRC, with a specific advisory to avoid all travel to Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces due to both the outbreak and ongoing security concerns.

Limits to airport screening for virus

Some provinces, including Ontario, have begun implementing health screening at airports. The approach has merit in this case since the contagious period of the Ebola virus occurs people are symptomatic — but there are caveats, according to Sly.

"Blocking of travel from affected areas is probably a last resort… it's never been found to be very effective. People find other routes and it just holds up vast numbers of people. What you find is people divert — they go via Dusseldorf or Frankfurt coming into Canada from the respective area."

Ali is also skeptical about screening overall.

"Most of the studies show that it is not really effective," he says. "But… the optics are important. The politicians like to show that they're doing something, and it reassures people on a psychological level, so that's an added benefit. But is it going to really prevent cases? I doubt it."

How Ebola spreads

One of the most important things for employers to understand is how Ebola is — and is not — transmitted. Unlike COVID-19, Ebola is not airborne and is not spread through casual contact.

"Under normal circumstances, the risk of infection is low," says Ali. "It's not like COVID, where you pass someone in the street and you can catch the virus."

The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person — blood, urine, feces, vomit, saliva, sweat, semen and breast milk — according to the Public Health Agency. It is also transmissible through contact with the body of someone who has died from the disease, or with contaminated surfaces, bedding or medical equipment.

The transmission rate is estimated at between 1.5 and 2.5, says Ali — meaning one infected person may infect roughly one to two others. By comparison, COVID-19's rate was around four or five.

Sly puts the stakes in plain terms.

"Risk is always defined as the probability times the magnitude — in other words, how bad is it and how likely is it to spread? In this case, it's not very likely to spread, but it is certainly quite bad.

"The case fatality rate ranges from about 33% up to about 50%. There was actually one outbreak that went up to about 90% in Africa many years ago.”

There is also an important timing factor which is encouraging for HR to know.

"It seems you're not shedding the virus until you have the symptoms," says Sly — a meaningful difference from COVID-19, where asymptomatic spread drove global transmission. “So, if a person does appear to be ill… that's enough to alert the individual that they should stay away from other people.”

The disease progresses in two phases, says Ali. The first, a "dry phase," involves high fever, coughing, joint and muscle pain. As it worsens, it enters a "wet stage" involving vomiting and diarrhea — when the person is most infectious and most in need of intensive care.

"This is one of the unfortunate tragedies because this is very treatable in the global North because we have IV fluid drips, which allow for the replenishment of electrolytes and saline and glucose and fluid more generally. And that is what's missing there. That's how people succumb to the disease — it's from the loss of fluid, ultimately.”

21-day rule: what HR should require

The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, according to the Public Health Agency — and that range is what drives the government's quarantine requirement.

"The main precaution [is] to self-isolate and monitor yourself to make sure you're not ill," says Ali. "Such a person shouldn't come into work, just to be sure."

Sly underscores the workplace risk of getting this wrong. If an employee returning from Central Africa develops symptoms shortly after returning to the office, for example, "the thing to do would be to make sure that person isolates — even from their family, not in the same room," he says.

"They don't go to the emergency department — that's the last thing the hospital wants. But they notify the health department immediately, and they will set up a protocol whereby this person can be transported in an isolation setting and then tested and whatever needs to be done."

The concern about hospitals is practical, he adds, given the crowded environment: “You get one [infected] person in there, and next thing you know, those dozens of people have been exposed for hours and hours."

Pay attention to health updates

Ebola is one of a growing number of zoonotic diseases — illnesses that originate in animals and jump to humans — that public health experts are tracking with increasing urgency, says Sly.

"About 70% of all the diseases we're worried about in the world — SARS, COVID, Ebola, hantavirus, Nipah virus, rabies, and so on — most of these diseases are zoonoses," he says. "They're animal diseases, naturally animal diseases, that have jumped into humans for one reason or another… [so] we are not protected against it, and we can expect far more serious outcomes.

“And with the encroachment of human settlements on animal habitats more and more around the world, we can expect more of this."

As for the possibility of spread through a major event like the FIFA World Cup, Sly suggests it’s unlikely but possible.

“People are sweating and shouting and screaming. There's physical contact there whether you want it or not. So, there is a possibility of that kind of spread.”

For now, the risk in Canada remains low, according to the Public Health Agency. But both experts agree the situation warrants close attention — particularly for HR professionals managing employees involved in international travel, be it personal or professional.

Daily updates from the WHO are the best resource available, says Sly. "The information is good — it's not on one hand saying this is all a hoax and worry over nothing, and on the other hand it's not saying this is the end of the world. It's a sensible, science-driven approach, and watching that is going to give us the best information."