Africa CDC urges U.S. to lift Uganda Ebola travel restrictions

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reports that Africa CDC has asked the United States to remove Ebola-related travel measures affecting Uganda, after the country went three weeks without recording a new case. Speaking in Accra at the ministerial segment of an African Union extraordinary session on health, Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya said the agency had written formally to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seeking the withdrawal of the restrictions.

According to the report, Uganda’s last Ebola patient was discharged on July 16, starting the 42-day monitoring period used under World Health Organization guidance before a country can be declared free of the virus. The article says Uganda has recorded 20 Ebola cases in the outbreak, while the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported more than 2,400 cases in a much larger emergency.

The U.S. measures, introduced after Uganda declared an outbreak earlier this year, reportedly included enhanced screening for travelers from Uganda, routing some passengers through designated U.S. airports, and temporary entry restrictions for some travelers with recent Uganda travel history. The Independent says Ugandan officials have argued the measures have harmed tourism, business travel, investment and the country’s image, even though they were not a full travel ban.

Kaseya also used the meeting to warn about the worsening Ebola situation in DRC, citing around 1,000 deaths, weak contact tracing, community transmission, insecurity in eastern areas and displacement as major obstacles. The report says Africa CDC estimates US$1.4 billion is needed for the response, while African countries have pledged about US$110 million. The broader AU meeting is also considering health-system strengthening, AIDS targets and local production of medical supplies.