Ebola: Uganda restricts transit for travellers from DR Congo

Uganda has barred travellers with a historical past of journey to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from transiting via the nation as authorities examine a traveller who later examined constructive for Ebola in Nigeria. The Ugandan Ministry of Health introduced the restriction on Friday and reinstated traveller locator kinds to assist contact tracing and follow-up.

In a press release signed by Director General of Health Services Charles Olaro, the ministry mentioned out there info indicated that the traveller had no signs when she departed Uganda. It mentioned investigations had been persevering with to ascertain when signs started and the place she could have been uncovered.

Uganda is working with Nigerian well being authorities to reconstruct her journey historical past and actions. It has requested additional info, together with detailed journey information and genomic sequencing outcomes the place out there. The ministry maintained that Uganda had no energetic Ebola instances.

Authorities mentioned an infection prevention measures had been strengthened at border factors and well being amenities, alongside continued nationwide surveillance. The ministry warned that breaches of public well being necessities might appeal to motion below Uganda’s Public Health Act.

It additionally urged communities to report suspected unauthorised border crossings so these concerned might bear screening and acceptable follow-up. Travellers and residents had been suggested to stay calm, practise hand hygiene and cooperate with screening and different public well being measures. Uganda had beforehand skilled an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus illness after instances had been imported from the DRC in May 2026.

The nation recorded 20 confirmed instances, together with two fatalities, earlier than declaring the outbreak over in August following 42 days with out a new domestically acquired case. According to WHO figures cited within the report, the DRC had recorded 9,704 confirmed instances and 4,687 fatalities throughout eight provinces by October 20.

Uganda’s newest announcement follows its October 21 clarification that the Nigerian affected person’s passage via the nation didn’t set up the place she contracted the virus. The ministry mentioned preliminary info instructed she had visited jap DRC for enterprise earlier than travelling via Uganda.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, mentioned on Friday that genomic evaluation confirmed a excessive diploma of similarity between the virus detected in Nigeria’s affected person and that recognized in Kenya’s first imported case. Pate burdened that the discovering didn’t set up an infection in Kenya, as there was no proof that the Nigerian affected person had travelled there.

Africa CDC had earlier mentioned it was investigating a potential connection as a result of each sufferers handed via Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 3. Kenya’s first case concerned a traveller arriving from the DRC via Uganda. The report mentioned Kenya subsequently recorded 9 confirmed instances, together with two fatalities, with the eight extra infections linked to the primary affected person.