Africa CDC Presses US to End Uganda Ebola Travel Ban

Uganda has officially cleared its final patient, marking the beginning of the 42-day observation window required to declare the outbreak over. According to the Africa CDC, all 836 identified contacts have completed their monitoring cycles. Despite this, the country maintains active surveillance protocols across 36 high-risk districts and 38 points of entry to ensure no resurgence occurs.

Dr. Kaseya contends that broad travel bans act as a penalty for transparency, potentially discouraging other nations from reporting future outbreaks early. Instead of blanket suspensions, the agency proposes a risk-based model centered on health screenings, traveler declarations, and rapid referral systems. While the Africa CDC acknowledges that Ebola remains present in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, it maintains that Uganda’s ability to detect and isolate cases justifies a shift in American policy. The agency remains prepared to share surveillance data with the US Department of Health and Human Services to facilitate a formal review of the current restrictions.