UGANDA TO TREAT NEW EBOLA PATIENTS AT SOURCE IN DRC

Uganda’s ministry of health Ebola messages to the public to guard against the disease (Photo: Ministry of Health)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

Uganda is implementing a cross-border strategy to combat the Ebola outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Ugandan Ministry of Health has deployed over 80 health workers and established mobile laboratories and two 110-bed Ebola Treatment Units in Aru and Kasenyi, located within the DRC.

These facilities are part of a broader effort to treat Ebola patients at the source of the outbreak, aiming to prevent the virus from spreading further into Uganda and neighboring countries.

This proactive approach seeks to contain the Bundibugyo Ebola virus strain at its origin by providing immediate care locally, reducing the need for patients to cross borders for treatment, which can facilitate transmission.

Dr. Jimmy Opigo, heading the Ugandan medical delegation in DRC, highlighted that this strategy is focused on “silencing” Ebola’s threat at its root before it can rapidly spread outward.

“We are so robust that should we get Ebola here we shall take the person and treat in DRC because we have set there a service as good as here in Uganda, much as we value medical tourism for the reasons all of us know but we would like to solve the problem at its source, we have set a mechanism to allow essential travel including medical tourism to continue in a safe and contained way,” he said.

The initiative involves setting up temporary mobile clinics and laboratories in high-risk areas, ensuring prompt response and control measures.

Uganda’s efforts are complemented by the establishment of additional treatment facilities; a 110-bed field hospital in Kasenyi is already operational, with plans to establish a second similar facility.

Ultimately, Uganda intends to set up four such hospitals in eastern DRC, guided by the vision of preventing cross-border transmission.

Uganda has declared itself Ebola-free after successfully managing the 2026 outbreak, with the safe discharge of the last patient and strict monitoring protocols.

Dr. Pontius Apangu, the Arua City Principal Health Officer, urged the public to shed misconceptions about Ebola, seek verified information, and adopt healthier health-seeking behaviors to help prevent future outbreaks.

“Our neighbor DRC has registered over 3,600 cases with over 1,700 deaths these are the recorded cases but we have unrecorded ones there as well, Ebola virus is one of the highly infectious diseases and for us to be ahead of transmission we require a behavior change because almost all health conditions are diseases are as a result of behavior whether communicable or non-communicable,” he said.

Hon Phiona Onzima, Member of Parliament representing Ayivu West, the border area bordering DRC, called on citizens to continue observing health procedures to maintain the low risk of Ebola transmission.

“Despite Uganda been declared Ebola free let’s continue to take care, our neighbouring countries like DRC there are still experiencing Ebola outbreaks, if we are going to continue using porous border points we are going to bring back Ebola again and we shall be put under lockdown” she said.

The Ugandan government emphasizes regional cooperation; they signed an agreement with DRC for a joint response team. This team involves Ugandan health workers and mobile laboratories deploying directly into high-risk border areas.

These measures aim not only to contain Ebola but also to facilitate the movement of people, goods, and trade by ensuring local treatment and avoiding cross-border spread.

President Yoweri Museveni’s leadership reflects a Pan-African spirit of mutual assistance, prioritizing public health while supporting trade, travel, and regional stability during the outbreak response.