The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has formally called on the United States to lift travel restrictions imposed on Uganda, praising the East African nation’s decisive and effective containment of its recent Ebola outbreak. The appeal comes as Uganda officially enters the crucial 42-day World Health Organization (WHO) countdown following the discharge of its final recovering patient.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, Ghana, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya announced that he has dispatched an official letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In the correspondence, Kaseya urged an immediate review and reversal of the travel measures currently targeting travelers from Uganda, asserting that there is no longer any valid public health rationale to justify maintaining restrictions on Kampala.
“Lifting restrictions on countries that are making verified, measurable progress builds international confidence in regional health systems and promotes transparency in outbreak reporting,” Dr. Kaseya emphasized during the press conference.
He further challenged member states across the African continent to rally behind Uganda’s appeal, arguing that punitive or prolonged travel barriers undermine localized epidemiological success and disincentivize transparent data sharing.
The diplomatic push follows a major milestone in Uganda’s outbreak response. On July 16, the nation’s final remaining Ebola patient was successfully discharged from hospital care, officially kicking off the mandatory 42-day surveillance window required by the WHO. Under international health guidelines, a country cannot be formally declared free of the virus until two full incubation cycles (42 days) pass without the emergence of any new confirmed cases.
Throughout the current outbreak, Uganda has maintained a remarkably contained footprint, logging a total of just 20 cases. This stands in stark contrast to broader regional challenges, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which remains the primary epicenter on the continent with over 2,400 historical and ongoing management cases.
The recent expansion of U.S. policy advisories—which have broadly impacted travelers originating from the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan—has drawn growing criticism from regional public health experts who argue the policies fail to reflect localized containment realities.
Dr. Kaseya underscored that penalizing nations that successfully manage and suppress epidemics discourages prompt reporting and disrupts economic stability. By aligning international travel policies with verified epidemiological progress, global health partners can better support localized containment frameworks.
As Uganda navigates the final weeks of its WHO-mandated countdown, the vocal backing of the Africa CDC marks a pivotal moment in restoring full international mobility and validating the country’s robust public health infrastructure.
