Uganda tightens Ebola control measures after new cases emerge in Kampala

Written by: Mohamed Ragab

The Ugandan government has stepped up its health measures to combat the Ebola outbreak, after two new cases were recorded in the capital, Kampala, raising growing fears of the infection spreading within the country and in the East African region.

The Ugandan Ministry of Health announced that the two new cases are health workers employed at a private medical facility in Kampala, confirming that they have been transferred to a specialized treatment unit to receive the necessary medical care, while extensive contact tracing operations have begun to prevent the spread of infection.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven since the official announcement of the outbreak in mid-May.

Strengthening health screening procedures

Recent developments have prompted Ugandan authorities to strengthen health screening procedures at airports and border crossings, as well as intensify community awareness campaigns about the symptoms of the disease and ways to prevent it, especially after the infection spread to a number of health workers, which has raised widespread concern among medical authorities and international organizations.

The current outbreak comes amid the continued spread of a rare strain of the Ebola virus known as Bundibugyo, a strain for which there is still no approved vaccine or specialized treatment, further complicating containment efforts.

The World Health Organization had previously declared the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda an international health emergency due to the risk of rapid regional spread.

International reports indicated that Ugandan authorities suspended some public activities and gatherings as a precautionary measure and raised the alert level in hospitals and isolation centers. Meanwhile, neighboring countries began implementing additional preventative measures, including stricter health checks on arrivals from affected areas.

Surveillance operations at airports and border crossings

International concerns have grown over the evolving health situation in the region, after several countries announced restrictions and precautionary measures on travelers arriving from countries affected by the outbreak, while global health authorities have strengthened monitoring operations at airports and international crossings.

Health experts believe that controlling the current outbreak depends largely on the speed of detecting infections, tracing contacts, and providing urgent medical support, especially given the ongoing challenges related to cross-border movement and the weak health infrastructure in some affected areas.