Uganda has introduced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as authorities tighten health security measures following confirmed Ebola cases in neighbouring Kenya and Nigeria.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the restrictions on Sunday, saying the government was strengthening surveillance at airports and border crossings to prevent the virus from entering the country.
Uganda declared itself Ebola-free in July after containing its latest outbreak. However, concerns have resurfaced after two people who recently passed through the country subsequently tested positive for the virus in Kenya and Nigeria.
Authorities are investigating the Nigerian case, involving the wife of a Swiss diplomat who visited Uganda last month.
Swiss officials have suggested the woman contracted Ebola while in Uganda, a claim Baryomunsi disputed, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to establish where the infection occurred.
He said relatives of the woman from Uganda’s West Nile region had visited her in Kansanga, a suburb of Kampala, and that those relatives had previously travelled to Congo.
Baryomunsi accused Swiss authorities of drawing premature conclusions, insisting that determining the source of the infection required scientific evidence.
“We should speak science, not politics,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s Health Ministry confirmed that the country’s authorities were working with Nigerian officials and international partners to examine genomic sequencing results, travel records and possible exposure routes.
Kenya’s first confirmed Ebola patient had travelled from Congo through Uganda before boarding a flight from Entebbe International Airport to Nairobi on October 3. The patient died two days later.
Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine said surveillance footage showed that the Kenyan and Nigerian patients had passed through Entebbe airport on the same day but had no physical contact.
Baryomunsi also confirmed that all 60 people identified as contacts of the Kenyan patient had completed their 21-day monitoring period and been discharged.
As part of the enhanced precautions, Uganda has intensified health screening at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings.
Travellers entering the country by air, land or water must now complete a passenger locator form to assist health authorities with monitoring and contact tracing.
Genomic analysis of Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola case found that the virus was closely related to the strain detected in Kenya’s first patient.
However, Nigerian authorities said there was no evidence of direct contact between the two patients or that the Kenyan patient had travelled to Nigeria.
Uganda shares a lengthy border with Congo, where the current outbreak originated, and has experienced several Ebola outbreaks in recent decades.
Authorities say the latest restrictions are intended to strengthen early detection and prevent a renewed outbreak as regional health officials continue investigating the infections.
