Uganda has temporarily closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a growing Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain raised concerns about cross-border transmission and exposure among health workers.
The closure was announced on Wednesday, May 28, by Uganda’s Ebola task force following reports that infected or exposed people had crossed into the country before the outbreak was officially declared in Congo on May 15.
According to Uganda’s Ministry of Health, travel across the border will now be limited to emergency situations, including humanitarian work, Ebola response operations, cargo transport and security activities.
“Uganda is temporarily closing the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo with immediate effect,” said Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health.
“The only exceptions are for authorised Ebola response teams, the humanitarian operations, food and cargo transportation and security. But all this will still be under strict health screening and monitoring protocols across the border.”
Atwine added that anyone entering Uganda from Congo under emergency circumstances would be placed under mandatory 21-day self-isolation.
The decision goes against guidance from the World Health Organization, which warned that border closures can force people to use unofficial crossing routes that are harder to monitor.
The WHO said such measures can “push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease.”
Congo is currently dealing with its 17th Ebola outbreak.
Health authorities there have reported about 228 deaths, while suspected cases are said to be approaching 1,000. Uganda has confirmed seven cases, including the death of a 59-year-old man in Kampala on May 14.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine. WHO adviser Dr Vasee Moorthy said researchers are developing two possible vaccines, but neither has completed clinical trials.
Health officials say tracing contacts and isolating infected people remain the main tools for controlling the outbreak. Ebola spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected patients, placing healthcare workers and family caregivers among the highest-risk groups.
The situation has been made more difficult by ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, where displacement and attacks on medical facilities have disrupted response efforts.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an end to the fighting, saying health workers could not effectively contain the outbreak under current conditions.
“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” he said. “Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.”
Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as MSF, said aid groups are still struggling to reach some outbreak areas because of poor transport links and insecurity.
“We’re still far behind having a control on the situation,” said Ewald Stals, MSF director in Congo. “We still do not have a full picture of what is happening, and that is mainly due to insufficient testing.”
The border between Uganda and Congo stretches about 765 kilometres and includes many unofficial footpaths used daily by traders and families travelling between communities on both sides.
