The World Health Organization has urged Uganda to reconsider its temporary closure of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that broad travel restrictions are unlikely to stop the spread of Ebola.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks on Monday during a visit to an Ebola isolation unit at a hospital in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Tedros praised Uganda’s handling of the outbreak, describing the country’s response as prompt and capable. But when asked about Uganda’s decision late last month to shut its border with Congo, he said blanket travel restrictions “don’t work” and expressed hope that Ugandan authorities would review the measure.
Uganda closed the border temporarily in an effort to limit cross-border transmission after Ebola cases were reported among people entering the country from Congo.
The WHO has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola a public health emergency of international concern.
The epicentre of the outbreak is in Congo’s Ituri province, where Africa’s top public health agency has reported 515 confirmed cases out of Congo’s total of 544.
Uganda has so far confirmed 19 Ebola cases, most of them linked to people who crossed into the country from Congo.