By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
The Ministry of Health has reactivated limited Ebola precautionary measures after a Nigerian woman who travelled through Entebbe Airport tested positive.
The recent incident has put Uganda in bad light after having been declared Ebola free by the World Health Organization on the 26th August, 2026.
The woman, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born national who lives in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, tested positive for the virus on 20 October, 2026 becoming the country’s first confirmed Ebola patient in more than a decade.
The woman according to BBC travelled to Uganda with her Swiss husband who is a Diplomat based in Nigeria to Uganda earlier this month. Her husband is currently in isolation but has not developed any symptoms, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.
The ministry told the BBC that all 25 staff at its embassy in Nigeria were in good health and did not need to isolate.
The ministry said the woman had spent about a week at a private clinic in Abuja with symptoms before her diagnosis.
It believes she contracted the virus while travelling in Uganda, although health authorities have yet to establish the source of her infection.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Health in a press statement dated Friday, 23rd October, 2026 has activated the following measures; Traveler Locator Forms: The Ministry says these have been reinstated for all travelers irrespective of their country of origin to facilitate timely follow-up and contact tracing where necessary.
Infection prevention and control: Measures have been reinforced at all points of entry and exit at health facilities, while surveillance continues across the country.
Transit restrictions: Travelers with a history of travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo will not be permitted to transit through Uganda.
Enforcement and Compliance: The Ministry intends to invoke applicable provisions of the Public Health Act where persons entering the country through unauthorized routes will be referred to the relevant authorities for appropriate action under the law.
Meanwhile, the Ministry assures Ugandans that the country is Ebola free since the woman in question exited Uganda before developing any symptoms.
However, caution has been encouraged with citizens urged to report suspected unauthorized border crossings to facilitate screening and necessary public health follow-up.
