Uganda tightens border controls as Ebola outbreak spreads

Uganda has introduced border screening measures and health checkpoints in its western Bundibugyo region as authorities attempt to contain a growing Ebola outbreak that has already been declared an international health emergency, reports Africanews with AP on May 19th.

Health workers have begun monitoring travellers with temperature checks and setting up handwashing stations at key entry points. The measures form part of a wider response aimed at slowing the spread of the virus across communities near the DR Congo border.

The World Health Organization has classified the outbreak as a global health emergency, while the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has also declared it a Continental Public Health Emergency affecting both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to regional health data, more than 90 people have died so far. In neighbouring DR Congo, officials have recorded 131 deaths from 513 suspected cases. Uganda has confirmed at least one death linked to the virus.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a particularly dangerous variant for which there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment. Health experts warn that its high fatality rate makes rapid containment efforts essential.

Local health workers say efforts are also focused on preventing transmission within medical facilities. “We had to first tell the attendants who were in a health facility how best they could prevent themselves from being in contact with those people who could be having or who they suspected of having Ebola,” said Clovis Bwambale, a Ugandan health worker.

Officials in the region have pointed to previous outbreaks as a reason for cautious confidence, even as concerns grow over the current spread. “It is not the first time we’ve experienced this as Bundibugyo people,” said politician Mbabazi Alice. “I believe that the government has the power to handle this issue if it breaks up, even nowadays.”

Authorities continue to urge vigilance as surveillance and containment efforts expand across affected areas.

Africanews with AP, Maghrebi.org