Ebola: Traveller had no symptoms before leaving Uganda — Govt

Uganda's incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni delivers a speech during the party's closing campaign rally ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general elections, in Kampala on January 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

The Ugandan Ministry of Health has said that the traveller who tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease in Nigeria did not exhibit symptoms when she departed the country.

The ministry disclosed this in a statement dated October 23, 2026, signed by the Director General, Health Services, Prof. Charles Olaro.

The statement said that investigations were ongoing to establish when the woman developed symptoms and the circumstances surrounding her infection.

“Available information indicates that the traveller did not exhibit symptoms at the time of departure from Uganda,” the statement said.

The ministry said it was working with its Nigerian counterparts to establish the traveller’s full travel history, movements and possible exposure to the virus.

It added that additional information, including detailed travel records and genomic sequencing results, where available, had been requested from Nigerian authorities to support the investigation.

As part of precautionary measures, Uganda has reinstated traveller locator forms for all travellers, regardless of their country of origin, to facilitate follow-up and contact tracing where necessary.

The ministry also said, “Infection prevention and control measures had been strengthened at all points of entry and exit, as well as at health facilities, while surveillance continued across the country.”

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It further announced that travellers with a history of travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo would not be permitted to transit through Uganda.

The ministry warned that provisions of the Public Health Act would be enforced where public health requirements were breached, adding that people entering the country through unauthorised routes would be referred to the relevant authorities for appropriate action.

It urged communities to remain vigilant and report suspected unauthorised border crossings to facilitate screening and public health follow-up.

The ministry, however, reassured the public that Uganda remained Ebola-free.

It also urged travellers and the general public to remain calm and vigilant, practise proper hand hygiene and comply with screening and other public health measures at all points of entry.

The ministry acknowledged the support of government agencies, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organisation in the ongoing investigation.