Italian health authorities are investigating two suspected Ebola cases in Milan after a male and female aid worker returned from a three-month humanitarian assignment in Uganda, raising fresh concerns for international travel health monitoring and medical assistance providers.

According to local reports, both patients developed symptoms consistent with Ebola virus disease – including high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea – shortly after returning to northern Italy. They were transferred to specialist infectious disease facilities in Milan, where initial tests have returned negative results.

The developments come as the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to warn that the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda is expanding faster than containment efforts. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rarer variant for which no approved vaccine or targeted treatment currently exists.

WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern earlier this month after confirmed cases emerged in Uganda linked to cross-border transmission from eastern DRC. As of 21 May, health authorities had reported hundreds of suspected cases and more than 80 confirmed infections across the two countries.

Despite the negative results, the suspected Milan cases highlight the importance of strong infectious disease preparedness, pre-travel risk assessments, and robust medical evacuation planning for humanitarian workers, expatriates, and corporate travellers operating in regions affected by ongoing Ebola transmission in parts of Africa.