Uganda Health Ministry: Returnees from DR Congo Must Self-Fund 21-Day Ebola Quarantine

Uganda's health ministry announced on Sunday that citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo must undergo a 21-day quarantine period. The ministry stated that travelers will cover the costs of this isolation themselves. This measure is part of a wider effort to restrict movement and prevent the virus from spreading within Uganda's borders.

The new rules also prohibit travelers who have been to the Democratic Republic of Congo from using Uganda as a transit point. Health officials said they have increased screening procedures at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings. Additional checks are now being conducted at designated road checkpoints to monitor arrivals more closely.

The policy shift follows the detection of two Ebola cases in individuals who had passed through Uganda. One patient was a Kenyan businessman who had business interests in the neighboring country. He died two days after arriving in Nairobi. The second patient is a Ugandan-born woman living in Nigeria. She is the wife of a Swiss diplomat and had traveled to Kampala for a holiday. Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, provided details on her background. Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary at Uganda's health ministry, said CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the two patients during their time in Uganda.

More than 4,800 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo since May, marking the deadliest outbreak in the country's history. The virus has also spread to several other nations. Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths early in the outbreak, but the World Health Organization declared the country free of the disease in August. Officials have stressed that no new cases have been reported within Uganda since the recent detections in Kenya and Nigeria.

Kenya has confirmed eight other cases since the initial detection. A second woman related to the first Kenyan patient died over the weekend. Uganda and Nigeria are currently working together to establish the complete travel history and possible exposure routes for the Nigerian patient. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC that only essential travelers from the Democratic Republic of Congo will be allowed entry. He described the measures as necessary to keep Uganda free of the virus. Baryomunsi noted that the shared border and close community ties through trade and family require continued vigilance.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which is relatively rare. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain, though clinical trials are ongoing. The disease spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit.