Uganda closes its border with Congo as cases of a rare Ebola type surge
Officials said 7 Ebola cases have been reported in Uganda, including a fatal case in Kampala, as health worker exposures rise.
- On Wednesday, Ugandan authorities ordered immediate closure of the Congo border after Vice President Jesca Alupo's Ebola task force determined that health workers faced escalating exposure from Congolese patients who crossed before the May 15 outbreak declaration.
- Suspected cases in eastern Congo are nearing 1,000 with at least 220 deaths, while Congo's health ministry reported 101 confirmed cases and over 3,000 possible contacts on Tuesday; the porous border spanning several hundred miles with numerous footpaths created transmission vulnerability.
- Uganda has recorded seven Ebola cases including a 59-year-old man's death in Kampala on May 14, and while the caseload remains modest, health worker exposure has accelerated as they have families, according to Dr. Diana Atwine, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health.
- Border travel will be restricted to emergency cases including Ebola response, cargo or security reasons, though the World Health Organization warned that closures lack scientific basis and redirect movement to informal crossings, increasing disease transmission risk.
- Doctor Todd Ellerin of South Shore Health cautioned that Congo's reported 177 deaths and nearly 750 cases likely represent underestimates, as eastern Congo simultaneously confronts armed groups, displaced populations and poor infrastructure complicating containment efforts.
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52 Articles
KAMPALA, Uganda. – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - where a war conflict with various armed groups prevails - to try to contain the Ebola outbreak that hits the region, while Uganda decided to temporarily close its border with the neighbouring country in the face of increased cases and the risk of spread. “East DRC is now facing a catastrophic c…
Seven people have been infected with Ebola in Uganda, one of them died. Now the government closes the border with the neighboring country Congo with immediate effect.
Uganda closes border with DR Congo as Ebola cases surge
Ugandan authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of the border with Congo “with immediate effect” as suspected cases surge near 1,000 in its neighbour of a rare type of Ebola and as others emerge at home. The measure, which goes against World Health Organization guidance, underscored growing fears of contagion in this East African country that, like Congo, has experience responding to Ebola outbreaks but is faced with a type this time, Bundi…
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