Uganda has discharged all 60 people identified as contacts of a Kenyan man who later tested positive for Ebola, after they completed 21 days of monitoring without developing symptoms or testing positive, Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi announced on Sunday.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Baryomunsi said Uganda had not recorded a confirmed Ebola case since declaring its Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak over on July 28. He said the completion of the monitoring period marked a milestone in the country’s response to the risk posed by the Kenyan traveller.
The 60 contacts included staff at entry and exit points, hotel workers and transport operators who interacted with the man as he travelled through Uganda. Health authorities traced his movements and monitored the identified contacts daily throughout the mandatory 21-day period.
“None of them developed symptoms or tested positive for Ebola,” Baryomunsi said, adding that Uganda remained free of the disease.
The Kenyan national, who had lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for about seven years, fell ill while in the country and received treatment at several hospitals before travelling by road into Uganda. He passed through Kampala and boarded a flight from Entebbe International Airport to Nairobi on October 3. He arrived in Kenya the same day and died on October 5 after testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
Uganda declared its own outbreak over on July 28 after recording 20 infections and two deaths. The outbreak began in May following infections involving Congolese nationals who crossed into Uganda seeking treatment.
Despite the successful completion of contact monitoring, authorities have warned that continued transmission in the DRC remains a threat because of cross-border trade, travel and family ties.
Uganda has strengthened screening at Entebbe International Airport and land border crossings. Travellers entering the country by air, land or water are required to complete passenger locator forms, while Ugandan citizens returning from the DRC must undergo 21 days of quarantine at their own expense.
Baryomunsi also addressed concerns about a Nigerian woman who later tested positive for Ebola after passing through Entebbe International Airport on the same day as the Kenyan patient.
He said security footage showed no physical interaction between the two at the airport, while investigations into the woman’s travel history continued in coordination with Nigerian authorities and international partners.
The Health Ministry is maintaining preparedness and early detection measures and supporting health teams in the DRC to contain transmission. It has also established treatment units in the neighbouring country.
Baryomunsi urged the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with health authorities as Uganda continues to monitor the regional Ebola situation.
