Uganda has begun lobbying countries to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions following the discharge of its last confirmed Ebola patient from hospital. A Congolese national was released from the Mulago national referral hospital's isolation centre in Kampala on Thursday, triggering a 42-day countdown required by the World Health Organization (WHO) before Uganda can be declared Ebola-free, provided no new infections are detected.
The outbreak infected 20 people and claimed two lives. Despite Uganda's relatively successful response, fifteen countries continue to maintain partial or full travel restrictions, which the government says have crippled tourism, trade and business. The United States has placed Uganda on a level four advisory against all travel due to the outbreak, placing it alongside countries such as North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan and Russia.
“As we make progress in managing this disease, we are engaging and asking those countries with a view to opening up so that the economy does not get injured,” said Uganda’s health minister, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, after the ceremony marking the discharge. He noted that the country was not yet Ebola-free, as WHO guidelines require two consecutive 21-day incubation periods without a new case.
Baryomunsi stressed that Uganda's outbreak was imported and that the situation differs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where cases continue to rise. The DRC reported confirmed cases had risen to 2,073, including 796 deaths, as of 14 July. Uganda has already sent 50 health workers with four laboratories to the DRC to help contain the outbreak and prevent cross-border travel for medical attention.
Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO’s representative in Uganda, praised the country’s response, attributing the low case fatality rate of less than 10% to sustained investment in epidemic preparedness. She noted that Uganda established treatment facilities, trained emergency teams and pre-positioned supplies before the outbreak. The outbreak also accelerated efforts to develop a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain, with Oxford University launching the first Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine candidate.
