Uganda Remains Ebola-Free After Kenya Case Transits Entebbe: What Travellers Need to Know

Uganda remains Ebola-free, its Ministry of Health says, after a traveller who passed through Kampala and Entebbe airport was confirmed as Kenya's first-ever Ebola case and died in Nairobi. The case, announced by Kenya on 6 October, has put border and airport screening across East Africa under scrutiny at the start of the busy end-of-year safari season, and has drawn fresh attention to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that is now the deadliest in that country's history.

For travellers planning gorilla treks, safaris or business trips to Uganda, the key facts are these: no Ebola cases are known in Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises against restricting travel to or trade with the countries involved, and screening at entry points has been stepped up.

What happened

According to the WHO, the patient was an adult Kenyan national who had lived in the DRC for seven years and had been ill for about a month, receiving care at several health facilities there. He travelled by road from the DRC to Kampala on 2 October, then flew from Entebbe International Airport to Nairobi on Jambojet flight 8523 on 3 October, the US Embassy in Kampala said in a health alert.

He was isolated at Nairobi Hospital, tested positive for Bundibugyo virus disease, a form of Ebola, on 5 October and died the same day. Kenya's Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced the case on 6 October. Kenyan authorities identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, and began tracing 23 passengers and four crew from the Entebbe flight, Al Jazeera reported.

A second suspected case, a 20-year-old man who had also travelled from the DRC through Uganda, tested negative, the governor of Kenya's Wajir County said on 8 October.

Uganda's response

Prof. Charles Olaro, Uganda's Director General of Health Services, said in a statement that the traveller "transited through Uganda for less than 24 hours" and that screening teams recorded a normal temperature when he left Entebbe. The ministry said it was intensifying cross-border surveillance and information sharing with neighbouring countries.

Ministry spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa Kyobe told the Daily Monitor that "our teams are in charge" and that investigators were retracing the man's movements. Richard Mugahi, a senior health official, told Al Jazeera that officials were trying to retrieve the digital form the traveller would have completed at Entebbe and were reviewing security footage to identify the driver who took him to the airport.

The US Embassy in Kampala, in its 7 October alert, stated that "there are no known cases of Ebola in Uganda."

Background: the DRC outbreak

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in May. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which the WHO says no approved vaccine or specific treatment currently exists. The WHO declared the epidemic in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May.

As of 6 October, the WHO counted 8,728 confirmed cases and 4,205 confirmed deaths in the DRC, across seven provinces. Ituri province is the epicentre, and North Kivu, which borders western Uganda, has the highest provincial fatality rate.

Uganda had its own outbreak earlier this year: 20 confirmed cases, most of them imported from the DRC, with 18 recoveries and two deaths, according to the WHO and Africa CDC. The country declared that outbreak over in July after a 42-day countdown with no new cases, and the WHO praised the speed of its response. In May, Uganda closed its border with the DRC except for outbreak response, humanitarian, cargo and security crossings, with authorised entrants subject to health screening, CIDRAP reported.

The WHO rates the risk as very high in the DRC, high in countries that share a land border with it, including Uganda, and low for the rest of Africa and globally.

The tourism angle

The case broke as East Africa's tourism industry gathered in Nairobi for the 16th Magical Kenya Travel Expo, held at Uhuru Gardens from 6 to 8 October. Kenya's Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano told delegates, according to the Daily Monitor, "We have reasons to consider this an isolated case," and said Kenya would spare no effort to remain a safe destination.

Uganda's State Minister for Tourism, Susan Nakawuki Nsambu, used the same expo to call for joint marketing rather than rivalry, describing Kenya as Uganda's number one source market. "As Uganda, we are not competition for Kenya, but we are forever allies," she said, as reported by the Daily Monitor. For an industry that sells multi-country itineraries combining Uganda's gorillas with Kenya's savannas and coast, a coordinated health message matters as much as joint promotion.

Travel advisories differ by country. The US Embassy alert lists the US advisory for Uganda at Level 4, Do Not Travel, citing crime, health, terrorism and unrest. Other governments set their own levels, so travellers should check their own foreign ministry's current advice and their insurance terms before booking.

What it means for travellers

Expect health screening: temperature checks and digital health forms that ask about recent DRC exposure are in use at Entebbe and other entry points in the region.

Know your itinerary's geography: Uganda's main safari and gorilla parks are far from Ituri, the outbreak's epicentre, but Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth and Semuliki lie in western Uganda near the DRC border. Avoid unofficial border crossings and do not plan side trips into eastern DRC.

Keep up malaria prevention: the US Embassy notes that malaria symptoms can resemble viral haemorrhagic fever, so take prophylaxis as advised and seek care early for any fever.

Check your cover: confirm that your travel insurance includes medical evacuation, and follow the Uganda Ministry of Health for updates. Its toll-free alert line is 0800-100-066.

Monitor your health: the US Embassy advises anyone who has been in an area with an Ebola outbreak to watch for symptoms for 21 days after travel.

For planning help, see our guide to Uganda gorilla permits for 2026 to 2027 and our guide to the best time to visit Uganda.

Photo: PetterLundkvist / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).