Uganda shuts border with DR Congo to curb surging Ebola outbreak
Defying WHO guidelines, temporary closure follows exposure of Ugandan health workers to the rare virus strain
Uganda on Wednesday ordered the closure of its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where suspected cases of a rare type of Ebola were surging, and as cases have been confirmed at home after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease from Congolese patients.
The measure, which goes against the guidance by the World Health Organization, underscores growing fears of contagion in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare type of the Ebola virus that is behind this outbreak and that has no approved medicines or vaccines.
Like DR Congo, Uganda has faced Ebola outbreaks in the past. A local Ugandan task force made the decision on the border closure. The Ugandan health workers were exposed to the virus by Congolese patients who had crossed the border before the outbreak was declared in eastern DR Congo on May 15.
The border closure was temporary, with “immediate effect,” Dr Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told journalists. Border crossings would be authorised only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, humanitarian, cargo or security reasons, she added.
Anyone entering from DR Congo under emergency circumstances would be taken into mandatory isolation for 21 days.
Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts was seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which usually manifests as haemorrhagic fever. The virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.