The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Uganda on Monday and commended the country’s efforts to contain the spread of Ebola linked to an outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The WHO has declared the outbreak an international health emergency after it recorded 515 confirmed infections and 91 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo since it was announced on May 15 in the country’s northeastern region. Uganda has so far reported 19 cases and two deaths, most of whom are Congolese nationals who crossed the border.
During a visit to Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Tedros praised Uganda’s public health response and said its experience in handling outbreaks had helped reduce the fatality rate to below one per cent. He added that the WHO had trained 148 health workers to support the response effort.
He also highlighted Uganda’s decision to cancel the annual Martyrs Day celebrations on June 3, saying the move helped prevent a potential spike in infections due to large public gatherings.
Tedros met President Yoweri Museveni to discuss cross-border cooperation and stressed that restrictions alone are not effective in controlling the spread of Ebola. Instead, he said targeted action at the outbreak’s epicentre remains the most effective strategy.
The WHO chief noted that Uganda’s current case numbers might have risen significantly if the mass gathering had gone ahead as planned. He added that coordinated regional efforts were essential to controlling the outbreak.
The Ebola outbreak, which has also triggered travel restrictions from countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Mauritius, is the 17th recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has long battled recurring epidemics due to its size, instability and limited infrastructure.
The WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have jointly launched a $518 million response plan aimed at containing the outbreak over the next six months.