Uganda, WHO urges countries to lift Ebola travel restrictions
Key Takeaways
- Uganda has officially declared its Ebola outbreak over.
- The government and WHO urged countries to lift travel restrictions.
- Health officials continue monitoring the border due to the ongoing outbreak in the DRC.
Uganda and the WHO said there is no scientific basis for continued travel restrictions after the country officially ended its Ebola outbreak.
Uganda and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have called on countries to remove Ebola-related travel restrictions after Uganda officially declared its outbreak over.
Speaking at a press conference in Kampala on Tuesday, Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi urged countries that had imposed restrictions to lift them following Uganda's success in stopping local transmission.
"The countries which had instituted travel restrictions for their citizens coming into Uganda, but also for people travelling from Uganda accessing their countries, in light of the progress which we have registered as a country, we appeal and are engaging those countries to lift those restrictions," he said.
Baryomunsi praised international partners, frontline health workers and local communities for the "successful" interruption of transmission, which he credited to "an effective national response led by the Government of Uganda."
"While the immediate outbreak has been controlled, continued vigilance remains very essential," he warned.
Uganda declared the outbreak over on July 28 after completing 42 days without a new locally transmitted Ebola case following the discharge of the last locally infected patient on June 16. The country's most recent imported case was discharged on July 16, but authorities continue monitoring because of the risk of infections crossing the border from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The outbreak began in May and recorded 20 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths. Fifteen infections were imported from the DRC, while five were locally transmitted.
Baryomunsi said controlling the outbreak in the DRC remains critical.
"We need to strengthen the response in DRC so that we can be able to reverse the transmission and be able to bring it to a halt," he said.
"Working together, we should be able to contain that outbreak."
WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi also urged countries not to impose blanket travel restrictions or close borders.
"Travel restrictions and border closures have got no scientific backing that they are effective in controlling outbreaks," he said.
WHO continues to advise against restrictions on travel and trade, instead encouraging surveillance, rapid detection and stronger cross-border cooperation.
Janabi said Uganda's response offered "valuable lessons for strengthening epidemic preparedness and response across our continent."
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
