WHO chief praises Uganda response as Ebola outbreak continues in DRC border region

The World Health Organization's director-general has praised Uganda's response to the Ebola outbreak affecting the border area with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while urging Kampala to reconsider restrictions on the frontier. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Uganda had responded promptly and capably and expressed confidence that the epidemic could be brought under control. He made the remarks during a visit to Uganda on Monday, as the outbreak continued in eastern Congo's Ituri province, which sits on the border.

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Tedros said border screening in Uganda had helped detect cases arriving from neighbouring DRC, and that the country's surveillance, testing and case management systems were doing steady work. He also called on Ugandan authorities to continue assisting the DRC in containing the disease. According to the supplied material, both countries declared an Ebola outbreak on 15 May, and the current outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain.

The outbreak has been described as the third-largest in history, and the strain involved has no approved treatment or vaccine. Uganda closed its border with the DRC almost two weeks ago in an effort to contain the spread, but Tedros said he hoped the government would reconsider because of the economic consequences. He said there was no need for restrictions, arguing that addressing the epicentre was the solution.

The move has already disrupted local trade, and the International Monetary Fund has said it is monitoring the economic impact on the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan. The situation matters beyond the immediate health emergency because the border region is closely tied to trade, movement and security across central Africa. The DRC's eastern province of Ituri has been described as the epicentre of the outbreak, and the area has also been affected by decades of conflict, which has worsened an already difficult humanitarian situation.

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Uganda's role is significant because screening and surveillance there can help identify cross-border transmission early, but border closures can also deepen economic strain for communities that depend on cross-border movement. The current outbreak is part of a wider pattern of Ebola emergencies in the region, where health systems have often had to respond while dealing with insecurity and limited resources. The supplied material says South Sudan has not reported any cases in the current outbreak, but remains at high risk because of its proximity to both the DRC and Uganda.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention was also monitoring the situation, underlining the regional nature of the response. Tedros's comments suggest that international health officials see cooperation between the two neighbours as central to containing the spread. What remains unclear is how long Uganda will keep the border restrictions in place and whether the DRC outbreak can be contained without further regional disruption.

It is also not yet clear how the economic effects will develop across the border area or whether additional countries will report cases. The next developments to watch are any change in Uganda's border policy, further updates from health authorities in the DRC, and whether case detection and surveillance continue to limit spread.

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