Health screening measures have been increased in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda due to an outbreak of the potentially fatal Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some travellers facing additional checks on arrival.
The Foreign Office warned on Friday that travellers arriving in Kenya might be subject to enhanced health screening procedures, particularly those coming from Uganda, Ethiopia and the DRC.
Tanzania has operated additional screening measures since 18 May for passengers arriving from Uganda and the DRC.
Uganda continues to implement screening protocols at airports and border points, including temperature checks and passenger locator forms for arriving and departing travellers.
The Foreign Office is advising travellers leaving Uganda to check entry rules for their next destination, as some countries have introduced extra health screening for passengers arriving from Uganda.
The fresh warnings come as Uganda confirmed two additional Ebola cases on Monday, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to seven. Both new cases involve Ugandan health workers at a private medical facility in the capital, Kampala.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, with 220 suspected deaths so far in the current Ebola outbreak. The epicentre of the crisis is in the DRC’s northeastern Ituri province.
The WHO warned on Monday that the outbreak is spreading faster than response efforts, urging neighbouring countries to take ‘immediate action’ and strengthen border health measures.
Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We are urgently scaling up operations, but at the moment the epidemic is outpacing us.”
On 21 May, Uganda’s National Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease announced a series of temporary restrictions, including the suspension of all flights between Uganda and the DRC, the suspension of public passenger ferries operating on the Semliki River between the two countries, and the suspension of cultural celebrations along the Uganda-DRC border.
