Uganda clears all 60 contacts of Kenyan Ebola case

Uganda has discharged all 60 people who came into contact with a Kenyan traveller who tested positive for Ebola after they completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms, the ministry of Health has announced.

Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi said none of the contacts had tested positive for the disease, adding that Uganda had not recorded a new Ebola case since declaring the end of its outbreak in July.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Sunday, Baryomunsi said investigations were also ongoing into a reported Ebola case in Nigeria involving a woman who had travelled from Uganda.

“The ministry of Health wishes to announce that all the 60 contacts which we listed, identified and monitored in Uganda in connection with the recent Kenyan traveller’s Ebola virus disease case have completed their 21-day follow-up period and have been discharged,” Baryomunsi said.

The contacts included personnel at points of entry and exit, hotel staff and transport operators identified during investigations into the Kenyan traveller’s movements through Uganda.

Baryomunsi said health authorities had traced the traveller’s movements and monitored people who might have been exposed to the virus. None developed symptoms consistent with Ebola during the follow-up period.

The minister said Uganda remained Ebola-free after declaring the end of its Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak on July 28, 2026, following confirmation of the outbreak on May 15.

However, he cautioned that continued Ebola transmission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), coupled with cross-border travel and trade, meant Uganda could not lower its guard.

On the reported case in Nigeria, Baryomunsi said the ministry was working with Nigerian authorities and international partners to establish the circumstances surrounding the infection of a woman who had travelled from Uganda to Abuja.

He said investigations were examining the woman’s travel history, movements and interactions while in Uganda, as well as genomic sequencing findings, to establish whether the virus was related to strains identified in other affected countries.

Genomic sequencing involves analysing a virus’s genetic material to help determine how different cases may be related. Baryomunsi said the findings would be made public once the investigations were completed.

The minister also dismissed concerns about possible Ebola infections in Kasese and other districts bordering the DRC, saying no cases had been confirmed in those areas.

He said the ministry had intensified screening at Entebbe International Airport, land border crossings and designated road checkpoints. Travellers entering Uganda by air, land or water are required to undergo screening by port health officials, while passenger locator forms are used to facilitate follow-up where necessary.

Baryomunsi urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspected Ebola symptoms to health authorities despite the absence of confirmed cases in Uganda.

He said the country’s response remained focused on maintaining surveillance and preparedness while supporting efforts to control the disease in affected countries.

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