Uganda Imposes 21-Day Quarantine for Travelers Returning From Democratic Republic of Congo Amid Ebola Border Controls
Uganda’s Ministry of Health announced stringent new border controls and a mandatory 21-day quarantine at travelers’ own expense for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a cross-border Ebola outbreak. The outbreak in the DRC has caused thousands of deaths, though Uganda reported no confirmed cases since declaring the end of its own outbreak on July 28.
Under the updated measures, non-essential Congolese travelers are turned back at the nearest border post at their own expense, while anyone attempting illegal entry faces prosecution. The country first established border checks in May, restricting movement primarily to essential personnel like humanitarian workers and truck drivers subject to screening. Travelers who spend time in the DRC cannot transit through Uganda, even on chartered flights.
Uganda imposes mandatory 21-day DRC quarantine as regional Ebola threat expands.https://t.co/DhhFuE2eri#MonitorUpdates
Entebbe Airport Screening and Contact Tracing Efforts
Authorities intensified surveillance at Entebbe International Airport and all land borders. Every arriving passenger must now fill out a passenger locator form and undergo health screening, including diplomats and United Nations personnel.
Meanwhile, Uganda confirmed that 60 contacts linked to the first Kenyan patient—including border staff, hotel workers, and transport operators—finished a 21-day monitoring period without showing symptoms and were cleared from follow-up. That patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan living in the DRC, transited through Uganda before arriving in Kenya on October 3. He tested positive for the virus and died on October 5. Eight subsequent contacts tested positive, and a 65-year-old relative died, raising Kenya’s death toll to two. Uganda also dispatched experts to the DRC to help contain the Bundibugyo Ebola strain.
Unresolved Transmission Questions and International Investigation
Chris Baryomunsi addressed inquiries regarding a Nigerian patient diagnosed with Ebola, noting that investigators have not yet verified whether she traveled to the DRC. Baryomunsi stated that the woman has family ties in both Uganda and the DRC and carries two passports, one of which is Ugandan.
The Swiss Foreign Department told the Associated Press that the woman, who is married to a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria, did not visit the DRC and likely contracted the virus during a trip to Uganda. Baryomunsi stated that Nigerian authorities have not provided all the information Uganda requested. Investigators from Uganda are working alongside Nigeria and international partners to review genomic results and verify the patient’s travel history and contacts in Uganda and along her route to Abuja. The Nigerian Minister of Health, Muhammad Pate, mentioned that her infection appeared closely linked to the initial case recorded in Kenya, though he noted that connection does not definitively establish the transmission path.
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