President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assured the World Health Organization (WHO) of Uganda’s continued preparedness to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak, emphasising regional cooperation and swift public health interventions to prevent further spread.
The President made the remarks during a meeting with the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at State House Entebbe. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the WHO Uganda country office.
Museveni said Uganda remains vigilant and has put in place robust measures to control the outbreak, while also strengthening collaboration with neighbouring countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where some of the cases have originated.
“We have been engaging our counterparts in the DRC to ensure that we work together in addressing this challenge,” Museveni said.
He revealed that he had held discussions with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation to limit the spread of Ebola.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine, briefed the meeting that Uganda is currently managing 19 confirmed Ebola cases.
She said 14 of the cases involve members of the same family who entered the country from the DRC, but noted encouraging progress in containment efforts, with no new cases reported in the previous three days.
“Our surveillance and response teams remain fully engaged. We continue to monitor contacts, strengthen screening measures, and ensure that all suspected cases are promptly identified and managed,” Atwine said.
She added that the ministry has identified four strategic locations within the DRC, near the Uganda border, where medical camps will be established to support local authorities in managing Ebola cases.
The planned treatment centres are intended to serve border communities and reduce the number of patients crossing into Uganda in search of care.
Atwine noted that many Congolese patients seek treatment in Uganda due to confidence in the country’s ability to effectively manage epidemics.
The minister of Health, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, said the initiative would strengthen cross-border disease control and help address the outbreak closer to its source.
Establishing treatment facilities within the DRC, he said, would significantly reduce cross-border movement of patients while supporting local response efforts.
Museveni welcomed the proposal, advising that the centres be located as close to the border as possible to serve vulnerable populations effectively.
“It should be near the border, not far inside the DRC, because we are targeting those who are trying to seek treatment elsewhere,” he said.
The President also highlighted the government’s decision to suspend this year’s Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations at Namugongo, one of the country’s largest annual gatherings.
