The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has imposed a travel ban on foreign passport holders who have been in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days, citing a growing Ebola outbreak in the region. The agency invoked Title 42, a law that allows the CDC director to block noncitizens from entering the United States during public health emergencies.

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are currently working to contain an active Ebola outbreak. According to sources familiar with the situation, flawed testing procedures and funeral practices have allowed the virus to spread undetected in some areas, complicating containment efforts.

The travel restrictions come as international health experts issued broader warnings about global pandemic preparedness. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board released a report on Monday stating that infectious disease outbreaks are becoming both more frequent and more damaging worldwide.

The GPMB report warned that pandemic risk is increasing faster than investments in preparedness measures, concluding that "the world is not yet meaningfully safer" from infectious disease threats. The board noted that global resilience to disease outbreaks has decreased, making containment efforts more challenging.

The current Ebola outbreak highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in disease surveillance and response systems, particularly in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure. Ebola virus disease causes severe illness with high mortality rates and spreads through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.