Uganda orders 21-day Ebola quarantine for citizens returning from DR Congo
Uganda has ordered citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to undergo 21 days of quarantine at their own expense, while strengthening screening at Entebbe International Airport and land crossings. Incoming travellers must also provide contact details. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the measures as Ebola cases in Kenya and Nigeria prompted scrutiny of travel through Uganda.
Uganda declared its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak over on July 28 after recording 20 infections and two deaths. However, Swiss authorities believe a Ugandan-born woman, diagnosed in Nigeria on October 20 after travelling to Abuja, contracted the virus during a September visit to Uganda. Kampala disputes that conclusion, noting that she met relatives who had previously visited DRC. The WHO says available information does not indicate that the woman herself travelled there, and Nigerian and Ugandan officials are investigating her movements and possible exposure.
The inquiry also involves a Kenyan man who travelled from DRC through Uganda and flew to Nairobi on October 3 before dying two days later. Both patients passed through Entebbe airport that day, but footage showed no physical interaction. Genetic tests found closely related viruses without establishing a direct link. Sixty contacts monitored in Uganda have completed 21 days of observation. By October 20, DRC’s outbreak had caused 9,704 cases and 4,687 deaths across eight provinces. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
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