Uganda has introduced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) as authorities step up efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola.
The restrictions follow the detection of Ebola in two people who had travelled through Uganda before testing positive in Kenya and Nigeria, raising concerns about the risk of further transmission across the region.
In a statement on Sunday, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said travellers who had visited DR Congo would no longer be allowed to transit through the country. Returning Ugandans would be required to undergo 21 days of quarantine at their own expense.
Authorities have also increased screening at Entebbe International Airport, land border crossings and designated road checkpoints.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC’s Newsday programme that only essential travellers from DR Congo would be permitted to enter Uganda, subject to strict public health measures.
“All these are measures to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola,” he said.
The ministry also announced that 60 people who had been monitored after coming into contact with the Ebola patient reported in Kenya had been discharged.
Uganda has maintained that no new cases have been recorded within its borders during the latest phase of the outbreak. The country previously reported 20 cases and two deaths before the World Health Organisation declared it free of the disease in August.
However, concerns have persisted since two people who passed through Entebbe Airport on the same day later tested positive for the virus.
According to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention chief Jean Kaseya, the patient in Nigeria was the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat who had travelled to Kampala for a holiday.
The Kenyan patient, a businessman with interests in DR Congo, died two days after arriving in Nairobi. Kenya subsequently confirmed eight additional cases, while another woman related to the businessman died over the weekend.
Uganda’s Health Ministry Permanent Secretary, Diana Atwine, said CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the two patients at the airport.
Ugandan and Nigerian authorities are continuing to establish the woman’s movements, travel history and possible route of exposure.
Baryomunsi said the latest cases demonstrated the need for continued vigilance, particularly because Uganda shares a border with DR Congo, where transmission is ongoing.
“We share a border with [DR Congo], where transmission continues, and our communities remain closely connected through trade, travel and family ties,” he said.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which no approved vaccine or specific treatment was available at the time of the report, although trials were under way.
Uganda’s latest measures reflect growing regional efforts to prevent further infections as people continue to travel across borders for business, family visits and other essential activities.
