WHO urges Uganda to reconsider Congo border closure over Ebola outbreak
Home News Headline Stories Top News More News Foreign Gender Investigations All Alabuga Reports Blood on Uniforms SPECIAL REPORT: Failing waste system leaves Lagos roads buried in trash SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Sokoto’s fight against polio vaccine hesitancy SPECIAL REPORT: Nigeria’s maritime university upgrade stalls as billions flow into repealed academy Resource Curse? The only school in this Akwa Ibom oil community lies in ruins EXCLUSIVE: Why Tinubu fired Wale Edun as finance minister Fiscal Breach Uncovered: How Imo under Uzodinma spent N101.5 billion in unapproved funds Oil-well Dispute: Inside the report that restores Cross River’s hope Modern Slavery: Inside Nigerian communities where children are sold into marriage (II) INVESTIGATION: Inside Nigerian communities where children are forced into marriage (1) Business News Reports Financial Inclusion Analysis and Data Business Specials Trade Insights Opinion Oil/Gas Reports FAAC Reports Revenue Opinion All Analysis Columns Contributors Editorial The imperative of communicating national security gains, By Crispin Oduobuk Freedom of choice is not treason, By Bolutife Oluwadele The war against drug abuse must start from our schools, By Abdulhameed Yushau Insecurity: Fresh calls for state police, By Reuben Abati Emir Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli at 60: Reflections on a unique form of leadership, By Samuel Aruwan Not a fodder for politics: Oriire abduction and security challenges, By Tunde Rahman Health News Reports Special Reports and Investigations Health Specials Features and Interviews Multimedia Primary Health Tracker Agriculture News Report Special Reports/Investigations Features Interviews Multimedia Arts/Life Arts/Books Kannywood Lifestyle Music Nollywood Travel Sports Football More Sports News Sports Features Casino iGaming Non AAMS Online Kaszinó Magyar non Gamstop casinos Kasyna online Games كازينو اون لاين Geriausi kazino internetu Онлайн казино Казахстан Elections 2024 Ondo Governorship Election 2024 Edo Governorship Election Presidential Gubernatorial Home News Headline Stories Top News More News Foreign Gender Investigations All Alabuga Reports Blood on Uniforms SPECIAL REPORT: Failing waste system leaves Lagos roads buried in trash SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Sokoto’s fight against polio vaccine hesitancy SPECIAL REPORT: Nigeria’s maritime university upgrade stalls as billions flow into repealed academy Resource Curse?
The only school in this Akwa Ibom oil community lies in ruins EXCLUSIVE: Why Tinubu fired Wale Edun as finance minister Fiscal Breach Uncovered: How Imo under Uzodinma spent N101.5 billion in unapproved funds Oil-well Dispute: Inside the report that restores Cross River’s hope Modern Slavery: Inside Nigerian communities where children are sold into marriage (II) INVESTIGATION: Inside Nigerian communities where children are forced into marriage (1) Business News Reports Financial Inclusion Analysis and Data Business Specials Trade Insights Opinion Oil/Gas Reports FAAC Reports Revenue Opinion All Analysis Columns Contributors Editorial The imperative of communicating national security gains, By Crispin Oduobuk Freedom of choice is not treason, By Bolutife Oluwadele The war against drug abuse must start from our schools, By Abdulhameed Yushau Insecurity: Fresh calls for state police, By Reuben Abati Emir Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli at 60: Reflections on a unique form of leadership, By Samuel Aruwan Not a fodder for politics: Oriire abduction and security challenges, By Tunde Rahman Health News Reports Special Reports and Investigations Health Specials Features and Interviews Multimedia Primary Health Tracker Agriculture News Report Special Reports/Investigations Features Interviews Multimedia Arts/Life Arts/Books Kannywood Lifestyle Music Nollywood Travel Sports Football More Sports News Sports Features Casino iGaming Non AAMS Online Kaszinó Magyar non Gamstop casinos Kasyna online Games كازينو اون لاين Geriausi kazino internetu Онлайн казино Казахстан Elections 2024 Ondo Governorship Election 2024 Edo Governorship Election Presidential Gubernatorial World Health Organisation (WHO)
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has urged Uganda to reconsider its decision to close its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
According to a, Mr Ghebreyesus appealed during a visit to an Ebola isolation unit in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, where he praised the country’s response to the outbreak as prompt and effective.
However, he said blanket travel restrictions are generally ineffective in containing Ebola and expressed hope that Ugandan authorities would reconsider the measure.
Uganda announced the temporary closure of its border with the DRC late last month as part of efforts to curb the spread of the disease. The restriction exempts humanitarian operations, Ebola response teams, security personnel, and cargo transportation.
The outbreak, officially declared by Congolese authorities in May, has continued to spread despite ongoing response efforts.
The WHO, on Tuesday, said the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has resulted in 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths in the DRC.
It also disclosed that neighbouring Uganda had also recorded 19 confirmed cases, two deaths and one probable fatal case as of 6 June.
WHO said the outbreak is concentrated in conflict-affected areas of the Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces, where insecurity, attacks on health workers, and community mistrust have complicated response efforts.
Health authorities say the Bundibugyo strain presents additional challenges because there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the virus. The outbreak is believed to have circulated undetected for several weeks before it was identified, allowing transmission chains to expand.
The WHO warned that although the global risk remains low, the risk of further spread within the region remains high due to population movement across borders and the humanitarian situation in eastern Congo.
Last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention launched a joint six-month continental preparedness and response plan to mobilise $518 million to support affected countries and strengthen readiness across Africa.
The plan, which runs from June to November 2026, seeks to support surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, clinical care, community engagement and cross-border coordination.
WHO said the strategy would help both affected countries and neighbouring nations at risk of importing cases.
Although no Ebola case has been confirmed in Nigeria, authorities have intensified surveillance and preparedness measures following the regional outbreak.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has previously warned that Nigeria faces a risk of importing the virus through international travel, regional population movements, and porous borders.