Uganda closes border with Congo to try to limit Ebola spread

Uganda has closed its border with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo with immediate effect to try to limit the spread of Ebola, Uganda's government said on Wednesday.

The border will be closed for four weeks, except for Ebola response teams, humanitarian and security operations, and food and cargo transport, senior health official Diana Atwine told a press conference.

Uganda has reported seven Ebola cases and one death in the outbreak, whose epicentre is in Congo's Ituri province.

Atwine said on Wednesday that any person authorised to enter Uganda from Congo would be required to undergo mandatory self-isolation for 21 days.

Congo has seen more than 900 suspected cases and over 220 deaths.

On Wednesday, head of World Health Organisation, called for a ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in order to contain an Ebola outbreak, saying that ongoing fighting was driving mass displacement and spreading the disease in overcrowded camps.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, was declared an emergency of international concern by the WHO earlier this month and cases are rising sharply.

"Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom ​Ghebreyesus, who is due to travel to the region this week. "We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling. We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak," he said on X.

Aid group Save the Children said a quarter of the confirmed deaths were children, calling for a scale-up in infection prevention measures.

Fighting has continued in eastern Congo despite mediation efforts led by the United States and others, and millions of people are displaced. The UN refugee agency said transit and reception sites in Uganda's West Nile region which borders Congo are at more than double capacity, a document showed.

Aid groups are rushing staff and equipment to eastern Congo but attacks on medics due to community distrust have hampered efforts, they say. So far, donors have pledged around $500 million to help with the outbreak but not all has been disbursed, according to health officials.

Uganda's government last week announced an initial set of measures to try to limit the cross-border spread of the virus, including suspending public transport services with Congo.