WHO Urges Uganda to Rethink Congo Border Closure Over Ebola Outbreak
Last update: June 8, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
Blanket travel bans don’t work. That was the message from the WHO chief in Kampala on Monday as Uganda battles imported Ebola cases from Congo.
The Director General of the World Health Organization says Uganda should reconsider its decision to close its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo over an Ebola outbreak, cbinews.tv reports.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the comments during a visit to an Ebola isolation unit at a hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, on Monday.
While he praised the East African country for its Ebola response, calling it prompt and capable, he pushed back on the border closure.
Asked by a Reuters reporter about Uganda’s decision late last month to temporarily shut its border with Congo to try to limit the spread of Ebola, Tedros said blanket travel restrictions don’t work. “So I hope they, Uganda’s authorities, reconsider,” he said.
The WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern.
The epicentre is in Congo’s Ituri province, where Africa’s top public health agency says there have been 515 confirmed cases out of Congo’s total of 544.
Uganda has reported 19 confirmed Ebola cases, mostly people who entered the country from Congo.
#Ebola #WHO #Uganda #DRCongo #TedrosAdhanom #PublicHealth #Bundibugyo #Kampala #BorderClosure #HealthEmergency #AfricaHealth #cbinews #Ituri #EbolaOutbreak
