Uganda to quarantine returnees from Congo for 21 days at their own cost

Uganda's health ministry announced Sunday that citizens arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo must isolate for 21 days and cover the costs themselves. Travelers who have been in DR Congo will also be barred from passing through Uganda in transit.

Screening has been expanded at Entebbe International Airport and at all land border crossings, with additional checks at designated road checkpoints. Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi told the BBC's Newsday program that entry would be limited to essential travelers from DR Congo, who would face "intense public health measures". He said the steps were meant "to ensure that we keep Uganda free of Ebola".

The DR Congo outbreak has killed more than 4,800 people since May, the country's deadliest on record, and has reached several other nations. Uganda recorded 20 cases and two deaths early in the outbreak and was declared free of the disease by the World Health Organization in August. The ministry has said this month that no cases have been found within its borders.

The new controls follow scrutiny of two people who tested positive in Kenya and Nigeria after passing through Entebbe airport on the same day. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, identified the Nigeria patient as the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat who had traveled to Kampala for a holiday. The Kenyan patient was a businessman who had come from DR Congo on business. Diana Atwine, the health ministry's permanent secretary, said CCTV footage showed no physical interaction between the two.

The Kenyan businessman died two days after arriving in Nairobi. Kenya has confirmed eight additional cases, and a second woman, a relative of the businessman, died over the weekend. Uganda's health ministry said the 60 people monitored as contacts of the Kenyan patient in Uganda have all been discharged.

Officials had previously said the woman in Nigeria traveled to eastern DR Congo and only passed through Uganda. On Sunday, the ministry said Uganda and Nigeria are working together to trace her movements, travel history and possible exposure routes. Baryomunsi said transmission continues in DR Congo and that trade, travel and family ties link communities across the shared border. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, which has no vaccine or specific treatment, though trials are under way.