The Uganda Ministry of Health confirmed on Friday that 142 people have died from the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus, with infections now detected in six districts including the capital Kampala. Health officials across East Africa have begun screening travellers at border crossings and activating emergency protocols as the outbreak exceeds the threshold that triggered the World Health Organisation's highest alert level in October.
Outbreak Reaches Capital for First Time
Until November, the epidemic remained largely concentrated in rural districts of central Uganda. The confirmation that Kampala recorded its first cases marked a significant escalation. City authorities scrambled to trace contacts after a patient travelled 200 kilometres from the epicentre in Kassanda district to seek treatment at a private hospital in the capital. Uganda's Director of Health Services, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, told reporters on Tuesday that contact tracers had identified more than 1,200 individuals linked to confirmed cases.
The shift to urban transmission complicates containment efforts. Unlike villages where movement patterns are limited, Kampala's dense population and extensive public transport network create multiple opportunities for the virus to spread. The health ministry has asked residents to report any fever symptoms to the nearest health facility rather than self-medicating at pharmacies.
Neighbouring Nations Tighten Controls
Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all announced enhanced screening measures at points of entry. Kenya's Ministry of Health confirmed it has deployed thermal scanners at the Busia and Malaba border posts, the two busiest crossing points with Uganda. travellers arriving from Uganda now face temperature checks and a mandatory health declaration form.
The East African Community bloc held an emergency virtual summit last week to coordinate cross-border responses. Trade between Uganda and Kenya has continued, but truck drivers must now present a negative Ebola test result obtained within 72 hours of crossing. The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers warned that delays at borders could disrupt supply chains for food and medical supplies.
Economic Toll on Regional Trade
The cross-border restrictions are already affecting commerce. At the Malaba crossing, trucks have faced queues extending 15 kilometres, with drivers reporting waits of up to two days. The Uganda Revenue Authority recorded a 23 percent drop in exports through the eastern border corridor during the first week of November compared with October figures. Traders dealing in perishable goods including fish and vegetables have reported losses as cargo spoils while awaiting clearance.
The African Development Bank has warned that prolonged border controls could slow economic recovery in a region still dealing with inflation and currency pressures. Uganda's shilling has weakened by 4.5 percent against the dollar since the outbreak began, increasing the cost of imported medicines and medical equipment.
WHO Escalates International Response
The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on October 19, triggering the release of emergency funding. The organisation has shipped 2,400 doses of an investigational Ebola vaccine developed by the University of Oxford to Uganda. Clinical trials began in Kampala last month under the supervision of the Uganda Virus Research Institute.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, visited Uganda in early November and met with President Yoweri Museveni. The visit resulted in an agreement to establish three additional treatment units in affected districts. International donors have pledged $45 million toward the response plan, though the WHO estimates the total cost of containment operations at $88 million.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has deployed a team of 12 epidemiologists to support contact tracing in Kampala. The CDC team is working alongside officials from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which has coordinated the deployment of 35 health workers from member states to Uganda under the African Health Volunteers Corps framework.
Challenges Facing Frontline Workers
Health workers in Uganda have recorded 19 infections and four deaths among their colleagues since the outbreak began. The Uganda Medical Association has called on the government to provide higher-grade personal protective equipment and hazard pay for staff working in treatment centres. Several nurses at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala went on a brief strike last week over inadequate safety measures before returning to work following government assurances.
The Sudan strain of the Ebola virus differs from the Zaire strain that caused the West African epidemic of 2014-2016. No proven vaccine existed for the Sudan strain until trials began in Uganda, meaning healthcare workers had no immunological shield during the early weeks of the outbreak. The experimental Oxford vaccine uses the same platform as the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab, adapted to target the Sudan strain's glycoprotein.
What Comes Next
Uganda's Ministry of Health has set a target of 42 days with no new confirmed cases before declaring the outbreak over. The clock restarts each time a new case is identified, however. With transmission still occurring in Kampala and three other districts as of this week, health officials acknowledge the timeline may shift. Researchers at Makarere University are leading a study tracking the genetic evolution of the virus to determine whether it is changing in ways that could affect vaccine efficacy or diagnostic accuracy.
The next two weeks will test whether border screening and domestic restrictions are curbing spread. Kenya and Uganda have agreed to share real-time data on suspected cases detected at their shared crossings. For now, East African governments are hoping that swift action prevents the kind of regional catastrophe that followed the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people across Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
