Africa CDC Urges US To Lift Uganda Restrictions

The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, has urged the United States to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda, saying the country’s public health situation has improved significantly and no new infections have been recorded for nearly a month.

Speaking at a public health conference in Accra, Ghana, Kaseya said he had written to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that the travel measures imposed on Uganda were no longer justified. He also called on African governments to support the appeal, saying a united response would demonstrate solidarity with countries working to contain Ebola outbreaks.

Uganda’s last Ebola patient was discharged on July 16, marking the start of the World Health Organisation’s 42-day observation period required before a country can officially be declared Ebola-free. According to health authorities, Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases during the current outbreak, a much smaller number than neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 2,400 cases have been reported.

The United States introduced travel restrictions in May for travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and later expanded the measures to include some visitors from Uganda and South Sudan. Africa CDC maintains that Uganda’s improving public health situation warrants a review of the restrictions, while efforts remain focused on containing the larger outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.S. government has not yet responded publicly to Kaseya’s request.

SOURCE: Reuters