{
  "id": 15075993,
  "title": "Zambia women's national team players to miss NWSL games while undergoing Ebola travel restriction protocols",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/zambia-womens-national-team-players-to-miss-nwsl-games-while",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-17T00:15:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/zambia-womens-national-team-players-to-miss-nwsl-games-while-undergoing-ebola-travel-restriction-protocols-001539808.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Three Zambian women's national team soccer players will miss upcoming games in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) due to Ebola travel restriction protocols imposed by the U.S. government. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced the decision, stating that the players are currently in \"excellent health.\" The affected players, all forwards, are Barbra Banda from Orlando Pride, Prisca Chilufya from Angel City FC, and Racheal Kundananji from Chicago Stars. The team's recent matches included a 2-1 loss to Uganda on October 8 and a 4-1 victory at home on October 13. U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines require non-U.S. citizens who have traveled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or South Sudan to wait 21 days before returning to the United States due to Ebola concerns. With the current timeline, Banda, Chilufya, and Kundananji are expected to miss at least two, if not all, of the remaining NWSL games.",
  "summary": "3 NWSL players, including top forward Barbra Banda, joined the Copper Queens for a friendly in Uganda, but will now be out until the end of the month due to CDC protocol.",
  "key_points": [
    "Three Zambian women's national team players will miss NWSL games.",
    "Players affected: Barbra Banda, Prisca Chilufya, Racheal Kundananji.",
    "Ebola travel restrictions require 21-day quarantine in U.S."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Strict federal health protocols create immediate roster shortages for NWSL clubs by sidelining key international forwards who have recently traveled through high-risk regions in Africa.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}