Uganda has introduced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) as authorities strengthen Ebola prevention measures following confirmed infections in Nigeria and Kenya.
Ugandan Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the measure, saying the country remained Ebola-free despite growing concerns over the spread of the virus across the region.
The new restrictions require Ugandans returning with a history of travel to DR Congo to undergo quarantine at their own expense.
Uganda declared an end to its latest Ebola outbreak in July, but recent infections involving travellers who passed through the country have prompted renewed surveillance and investigations into possible transmission routes.
Nigeria Imvestigates Ebola Case
Ugandan authorities are working with their Nigerian counterparts and international health organisations to establish how a 42-year-old woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja contracted the virus.
The woman, identified as the wife of a Swiss diplomat, returned to Nigeria through Addis Ababa on 3 October.
According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the patient was placed in isolation and had shown significant improvement.
The agency reported that 53 people who had contact with the patient had been identified and placed under follow-up.
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Swiss authorities suggested that the woman contracted the virus while visiting Uganda, but Ugandan officials disputed the assessment, insisting that investigations were still ongoing.
Baryomunsi said the woman’s relatives, who had reportedly visited DR Congo, met her in Kansanga, a suburb of Kampala.
He questioned whether investigators had established that she had no possible exposure linked to DR Congo.
“We should speak science, not politics,” the minister said.
Ugandan officials said they were examining genomic sequencing results, travel records and the patient’s movements in collaboration with Nigerian authorities and international partners.
Kenya Case Raises Regional Concerns
The investigation also involves a Kenyan Ebola patient who travelled from DR Congo through Uganda before flying from Entebbe International Airport to Nairobi on 3 October.
The patient died two days later.
Uganda’s Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, Diana Atwine, said a review of airport security footage showed no physical interaction between the Kenyan patient and the woman who later tested positive in Nigeria, although both passed through Entebbe Airport on the same day.
Nigerian health authorities reported that genomic analysis showed the virus detected in Nigeria was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first confirmed case.
However, they said there was no evidence of direct contact between the two patients or that the Kenyan patient had travelled to Nigeria.
Baryomunsi also confirmed that all 60 contacts traced in Uganda in connection with the Kenyan case had completed their 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms and had been discharged.
Uganda Strengthens Border Surveillance
The Ugandan government has intensified health screening at Entebbe International Airport and land border crossings as part of measures to prevent further transmission.
“The ministry has intensified traveller screening at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings. All travellers intending to enter Uganda by air, land or water must complete the passenger locator form,” Baryomunsi said.
Uganda shares a border with DR Congo, where the current outbreak began, and has experienced previous Ebola outbreaks.
Meanwhile, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned an attack on health workers responding to an Ebola alert in Bafwasende, northern DR Congo.
Tedros said a nurse was killed and another health worker seriously injured in Saturday’s attack.
“Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety,” he wrote on X.
Reuters
