Uganda Closes Border With Congo Amid Increasing Ebola Cases Uganda ordered the closure of its border with Congo on Wednesday. The country is experiencing an increase in suspected cases of a rare form of Ebola, and cases have been confirmed domestically after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease from Congolese patients.
The action, which defies WHO guidelines, highlights rising concerns about Bundibugyo, a rare strain of the Ebola virus that is causing this outbreak and for which there are no approved medications or vaccinations, spreading throughout East Africa.
Uganda has seen Ebola outbreaks in the past, just like Congo. The decision to close the border was made by a local Ugandan task team.

Dr. Diana Atwine of the Ugandan Ministry of Health informed reporters that the border closure was just temporary and would have "immediate effect." She said, "Border crossings will only be permitted in emergency situations, such as outbreak response, humanitarian, cargo, or security reasons."
Anyone arriving from the Congo in an emergency will be required to spend 21 days in isolation.
Stopping the spread of the disease, which typically presents as hemorrhagic fever, is thought to depend on tracking down and isolating Ebola contacts. Close contact with bodily fluids from sick or dead patients can spread the virus. Healthcare professionals and family members who look after patients are most at risk, according to experts.

There are at least 220 probable deaths and close to 1,000 suspected cases in eastern Congo. According to Congo's health ministry on Tuesday, over 3,000 potential connections are being investigated, and 101 cases have been verified.
The first individual to recover from the Bundibugyo virus was sent home from a medical facility in Rwampara, one of the cities in eastern Congo at the center of the outbreak, according to Congolese authorities on Wednesday.
While recognising the high danger of spread in neighbouring countries, WHO has resisted border closures with the Congo. This epidemic has been deemed a public health emergency of international significance by the UN health agency.

Closed borders "push the movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease," the agency stated.
Beyond official border stations, there are many pathways that traverse the many hundred-mile Uganda-Congo border. Throughout the day, a lot of people arrive and leave to trade or see relatives.
The WHO claims that the outbreak is outperforming the efforts of Congolese health authorities. Tests for a more frequent form of Ebola were conducted, and weeks later, the unusual kind was verified. A significant number of displaced people, inadequate infrastructure, and the threat posed by armed groups in eastern Congo are additional challenges.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, appealed for a truce in eastern Congo on Wednesday in order to provide responders and others with safe access. He stated on social media that "attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible."
Responders in the Congo claim they are ill-prepared and underprotected for this epidemic, and communities who have been traumatised by warfare and have long been suspicious of strangers have attacked several clinics and thrown stones and obscenities at volunteers who are attempting to educate people about the virus and its dangers.
According to the WHO, individuals who are infected or have been in touch should not go abroad unless it is necessary for a medical evacuation.

Seven Ebola cases have been reported in Uganda, the first of which was a 59-year-old male who passed away on May 14 in Kampala, the nation's capital. The number of residents exposed to infection by medical personnel has been increasing, even while the number of Ebola cases is not increasing.The number of health workers has been rising because they have families, according to Atwine, a Ugandan health official.
She added that she was shocked to see some Ugandans gathering in large groups to celebrate Arsenal's victory in the British Premier League. In Uganda, the squad has a sizable fan base. Atwine advised people to use hand sanitiser, stay watchful, and refrain from shaking hands.

There have been 17 Ebola outbreaks in the Congo. Due in part to the region's particular issues, health experts argue that aid cuts made by the US and other wealthy countries last year are catastrophic for eastern Congo.
Aid organisations battling this outbreak claim they lack the necessary supplies, such as corpse bags, testing kits, and face shields and suits to shield medical personnel from infection.