Ebola: Uganda blocks DR Congo travellers in transit
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Rwanda Dispatch
Uganda has banned travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo from transiting through its territory after an imported Ebola case was detected in Nigeria. The measure, announced by Uganda’s Ministry of Health on 23 October, comes as authorities investigate the route taken by a traveller infected with the Bundibugyo strain.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health barred travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo from transiting through Uganda on Friday 23 October, after an imported Ebola case was detected in Nigeria, Rwanda Dispatch reports. The measure comes as authorities investigate the movements of a woman who travelled through Uganda before testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Nigeria.
The investigation concerns the traveller’s route, while the restriction targets Congolese travellers in transit. The case detected in Nigeria prompted Uganda’s precautionary measures.
The ban is part of a series of measures announced by Uganda on 24 and 25 October, including the reinstatement of traveller tracking forms and a 21-day quarantine. It follows the transit ban targeting travellers who had stayed in the DR Congo, published on 25 October, and the traveller tracking measures announced the previous day.
