Africa CDC calls for review of U.S. Ebola-related entry restrictions on Uganda

By Precious Mark

The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) has called on the United States government to urgently review and remove Uganda from its temporary Ebola-related entry suspension following significant improvements in the country’s public health situation.

The Director General of the Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya made the appeal in a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing that public health safeguards must remain grounded in evidence, proportionality, and partnership.

He noted that Uganda has recorded no new confirmed Ebola case since June 21, 2026, discharged its last patient, and entered the mandatory 42-day countdown toward declaring the outbreak officially over.

“All 836 identified contacts have completed follow-up.”

“Surveillance remains active across 36 high-risk districts and 38 points of entry. Laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, case management, risk communication and community surveillance remain fully operational,”
he added.

While acknowledging that continued transmission in parts of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo requires sustained vigilance, the director general stressed that Uganda’s robust response capacity warrants a country-specific assessment.

He advocated for targeted measures such as risk-based departure and arrival screening, traveler health declarations, and exposure-based monitoring rather than blanket travel bans.

“Countries that detect outbreaks early, report transparently and act decisively deserve recognition and support. Evidence-based decisions strengthen trust, international cooperation and rapid reporting during future health emergencies,” he said.

He added that the Africa CDC stands ready to share updated surveillance data with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. CDC to facilitate technical consultations and verification.