Health 4 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda Denounces 'Unfair' Travel Bans Amidst Ebola Containment Success
Uganda's Ministry of Health has strongly criticized international travel restrictions imposed on the country, deeming them 'unfair' and a punishment for transparency, especially as they announce significant progress in containing the Ebola outbreak. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-slams-unfair-international-travel-restrictions-as-four-ebola-patients-270-contacts-discharged-5485360
Uganda’s government has voiced strong disapproval of the international community’s response to its Ebola outbreak, characterizing the travel restrictions imposed by several Western nations as unfair. This criticism comes as health officials report substantial progress in managing the epidemic, having successfully treated and discharged four Ebola patients and safely released 270 contacts after they completed mandatory quarantine.
Dr. Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health, expressed frustration at a joint press conference with the World Health Organization (WHO) and representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She highlighted Uganda’s robust containment strategies and its extensive experience in handling viral hemorrhagic fevers, noting that the country has never exported an Ebola case despite multiple past outbreaks.
“We feel that we, as a country, have been a victim of transparency; the more we communicate, the more we are blocked, the more we are locked out, the more our citizens are stopped from travel,” Dr. Atwine stated, expressing the government’s deep dissatisfaction with how it has been treated.
Despite Uganda’s stringent ‘no-fly’ restrictions at ports of entry and a meticulous contact tracing and management system, nations like the U.S. and Canada have issued advisories urging citizens to avoid travel to Uganda. The U.S. State Department even elevated its travel advisory to ‘Level 4 - Do Not Travel’ and temporarily suspended visa operations at its embassy in Kampala.
The WHO has supported Uganda’s position, with Professor Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO African Region Director, appealing for an end to ‘blanket travel restrictions.’ He emphasized that Ebola is not an airborne disease like COVID-19 and that such measures inflict unnecessary damage on economies and the well-being of citizens.
Health officials maintain that the current outbreak, largely characterized by imported cases, is under control and urge international partners to reassess their policies based on factual epidemiological data rather than fear-driven reactions.