Uganda: Ebola - Uganda Orders 21-Day Quarantine for Citizens Returning From DR Congo

What the report says

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has ordered citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to undergo a 21-day quarantine as part of stepped-up Ebola precautions. The measure was announced in Kampala by Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi, according to the report, and applies amid wider concern over Ebola infections being tracked in parts of the region, including Nigeria and Kenya.

The article says Uganda has also increased surveillance at Entebbe International Airport and at land border crossings. Incoming travelers are being asked to provide contact details so health officials can follow up if needed. The ministry said Ugandans returning from the DRC will pay for their own quarantine.

The move comes as regional authorities investigate the source of Nigeria’s first confirmed Ebola case in more than a decade and whether it may be linked to travel in East or Central Africa. The report notes that Uganda says it has no active Ebola cases and declared its Bundibugyo outbreak over in July after 20 infections and two deaths.

More broadly, the story places Uganda’s action in the context of a major Ebola outbreak in the DRC and the World Health Organization’s repeated calls for stronger cross-border monitoring. The article also says the incubation period can last up to 21 days, which is why quarantine and contact tracing remain central to containment efforts.