Uganda mandates three-week quarantine for arrivals from DR Congo over Ebola

Ugandan authorities have ordered a mandatory three-week isolation period for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo as the nation steps up preventive measures against Ebola.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the 21-day quarantine policy on Sunday, noting that border vigilance has been reinforced. Alongside the isolation requirements for returnees from Congo, health officials have increased passenger screening at Entebbe International Airport as well as across all terrestrial border crossings. Anyone arriving in the country by air, land, or water is now required to fill out a passenger locator form.

The heightened measures come amid international scrutiny after two individuals who recently transited through Uganda were later diagnosed with Ebola in Kenya and Nigeria. Uganda officially announced the conclusion of its most recent Ebola outbreak in July, maintaining that it currently has no active domestic cases.

One of the cross-border incidents involves the 42-year-old wife of a Swiss diplomat, who flew from Uganda to Abuja via Addis Ababa on October 3. Nigerian health authorities reported that she has been placed in isolation, has shown notable clinical improvement, and that 53 individuals who had contact with her were traced.

While Swiss officials suggested she may have contracted the virus within Uganda, Baryomunsi dismissed the claim as premature. He pointed out that relatives from the West Nile region had visited her in the Kampala suburb of Kansanga after traveling to Congo, suggesting cross-border exposure could not be ruled out. Ugandan authorities are working with international agencies and Nigerian counterparts to evaluate genomic sequencing, travel history, and local contacts.

The second cross-border case involved a traveler who crossed from Congo into Uganda before boarding a flight from Entebbe to Nairobi on October 3, dying two days later. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary for Uganda's health ministry, stated that security camera footage from Entebbe airport confirmed the two infected travelers did not interact, despite departing on the same date. Baryomunsi confirmed that 60 individuals linked to the Kenyan case have finished their three-week observation period and were cleared.

Although genetic testing indicated the viral strain found in Nigeria closely matched the one identified in Kenya, Nigerian officials found no proof of direct transit or contact between the two patients.

The containment efforts highlight the ongoing risks across the region. On Sunday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that an attack on Saturday targeting a response team in the Congolese town of Bafwasende left one nurse dead and another health worker critically hurt, emphasizing that personnel must be protected while delivering care.