Uganda requires 21-day quarantine for citizens returning from Congo

Uganda is requiring citizens returning with a history of travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo to spend 21 days in quarantine at their own expense, according to reports on October 25, 2026, as authorities strengthen border checks while investigating Ebola cases detected in people who travelled through Uganda.¹²³

Screening and follow-up

The health ministry says screening has been increased at Entebbe International Airport, land crossings and designated road checkpoints. The Straits Times reported that every traveller arriving in Uganda, whether by plane, overland or by water, is required to fill out a passenger locator form. Al Jazeera reported that Ebola symptoms can take as long as 21 days to appear.¹²⁴

Uganda says it remains free of Ebola, with no further confirmed cases since its latest outbreak ended. The ministry dates that outbreak from May 15 to July 28, 2026. Al Jazeera reported that Uganda recorded 20 infections and two deaths during the Bundibugyo outbreak.¹³⁴

All 60 contacts identified in connection with a Kenyan Ebola patient have finished 21 days of observation and been discharged, according to the ministry and The Straits Times. The patient travelled from Congo through Uganda before flying from Entebbe to Nairobi on October 3 and died two days later, Al Jazeera reported.¹²⁴

Infection source under investigation

Investigators are also examining how a woman who travelled from Uganda to Nigeria became infected. The Straits Times, citing Nigerian authorities, reported that the wife of a Swiss diplomat reached Abuja through Addis Ababa on October 3. She was in isolation and her condition had improved; 53 contacts had been traced.²³

Swiss authorities believe she contracted Ebola during a September visit to Uganda, according to Al Jazeera. Uganda's health minister, Chris Baryomunsi, questioned whether possible exposure through relatives who visited Congo had been excluded. The World Health Organization said the information it had received did not indicate that the woman had travelled to Congo.¹

The two patients travelled via Entebbe airport on the same date. Ugandan officials said surveillance video was examined and provided no evidence that the two had physically interacted. Al Jazeera reported that, according to Nigerian authorities, genetic analysis showed the viruses in the two cases were closely related without proving a direct connection.¹²

Response across borders

Al Jazeera reported that the WHO had recorded 9,704 Ebola cases and 4,687 deaths in Congo by October 20, with transmission reaching eight provinces. The outlet said the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the current outbreak has neither an approved vaccine nor a specific treatment.¹

Uganda's health ministry says it has established three treatment units with 240 beds in Congo and deployed more than 120 personnel to assist the response. According to Al Jazeera, the WHO urged countries to improve surveillance and cross-border coordination but recommended that they not impose travel or trade limits.¹⁴