KAMPALA, October 25, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Uganda will quarantine citizens returning from travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo for 21 days as it strengthens Ebola screening measures, even as health officials maintain that the country remains free of the disease.
Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi announced the measure on Sunday amid investigations into an Ebola case confirmed in Nigeria involving a woman who had travelled from Uganda.
Ugandan officials are working with Nigerian authorities and international partners to examine genomic sequencing, travel records, contacts and movements linked to the case, seeking to establish how the infection occurred and whether it poses a wider risk.
Baryomunsi said 60 people identified as contacts of a Kenyan Ebola case had completed their 21-day monitoring period and been discharged. Authorities traced the contacts through entry and exit points, hotels and transport operators associated with travellers who had passed through Uganda.
“The ministry has intensified traveller screening at Entebbe International Airport and all land border crossings. All travellers intending to enter Uganda by air, land or water must complete the passenger locator form,” Baryomunsi said.
The measures are intended to strengthen surveillance at Uganda’s borders as officials assess possible links between cases reported in neighbouring countries.
Genomic analysis of Nigeria’s only confirmed Ebola case showed that the virus was closely related to the strain detected in Kenya’s index case. However, Nigerian authorities said there was no evidence that the Kenyan case had travelled to Nigeria or was directly connected to the Nigerian infection.
The distinction leaves the precise route of transmission unresolved, while investigations continue across the countries involved.
Uganda shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the outbreak began, and has previously faced Ebola outbreaks. Its geographic proximity to affected areas makes border screening and the monitoring of travellers central to its response.
The 21-day quarantine requirement adds to existing precautions, including screening at Entebbe International Airport and land crossings, while the passenger locator form applies to travellers entering by air, land or water.
Ugandan authorities have not reported an Ebola outbreak within the country and continue to describe it as Ebola-free. The latest measures reflect heightened vigilance as regional health officials investigate the Nigerian case and assess potential links to infections elsewhere.