Uganda has stepped up its Ebola response efforts following a high-level visit by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who assessed the country’s preparedness and ongoing containment measures.
Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine said the visit underscored the government’s commitment to strengthening cross-border coordination and preventing further spread of the outbreak, particularly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where several imported cases have been detected.
“This morning, we hosted the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros at the Minisyty of Health Uganda,” Dr Atwine stated.
“He is in the country to assess Uganda’s readiness to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and to support efforts aimed at strengthening cross-border coordination to prevent further exportation of Ebola cases from Congo and to bring the outbreak to an end.”
She added that Uganda continues to rely on enhanced surveillance, border screening, and rapid response systems to contain transmission and ensure early detection of new infections.
“We thank him and the WHO for their continued support and commitment to strengthening our preparedness and response efforts,” she said.
During his visit, Dr Tedros praised Uganda’s handling of the outbreak, noting that the country’s surveillance and border screening systems have played a critical role in detecting imported infections early.
He said most cases identified so far were linked to cross-border movement from the DRC.
“I am in #Uganda, where the government has mounted a prompt and capable response to the outbreak of #Ebola,” Dr Tedros said.
He further revealed that out of the 19 confirmed cases, 14 were among individuals who entered from the DRC, while 5 were Ugandan nationals. He also confirmed that two deaths had been recorded among patients from the DRC, expressing condolences to the affected families.
“Screening at the borders helped detect cases arriving from neighbouring #DRC, and the country’s surveillance, testing and case management systems are doing steady work,” he added.
The WHO Director-General reaffirmed the organization’s support to Uganda, alongside the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other regional partners, in strengthening outbreak response operations.
“WHO is supporting Uganda, alongside Africa CDC and partners across the region, as the country leads this response,” he said, expressing confidence that coordinated efforts will bring the outbreak under control.
Ugandan health authorities continue to emphasize vigilance, contact tracing, and community awareness as key pillars in the ongoing containment strategy, especially in high-risk border areas.