WHO Speaks Out Against Travel Bans To Uganda

About two weeks ago, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization, visited the Democratic Republic of Congo along with hundreds of journalists to report the ongoing state of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Shortly after the visit, they discovered that the situation had been inflated. They found out that there had been around 116 Ebola cases, contrary to the thousands that had been reported before the visit.

However this didn’t take away the panic and the travel bans that had been issued against Uganda and the Democratic republic of Congo. In fact the United States of America continued its high alert against anyone travelling from East Africa. With the USA travel advisory, many countries simply adopted what the United states was putting out.

Uganda had continuously said that the situation is not as the media claims. The ministry of health held meetings continually with the diplomats within Uganda’s borders. According to Ms Diana Atwine, the meetings had yielded some fruit with the United Kingdom not issuing a negative travel advisory against Uganda.

Dr Diana Atwine

On the 15th of June 2026, after the Director general of the world health organization visiting Uganda and meeting the president as well as visiting the hospital section where Ebola emergencies are being handled, he had nothing but to commend Uganda for the work well done in ensuring the outbreak is curbed.

During his visit to Uganda, called out countries against travel bans. To quote him directly, he said, “Travel bans are not helpful in controlling Ebola outbreaks and can negatively affect the movement of essential supplies, response teams and commodities needed to support control efforts,” he said. “Such measures risk undermining trust, transparency and international cooperation, and there is no public health justification for them.”

The full report regarding the WHO update on the situation of Ebola in Uganda can be found on their website here

What is the Public Ebola Situation In Uganda?

According to the state in Uganda, the country has had a total of 19 Ebola cases. 14 of the cases were imported from the Democratic of Congo. Then 5 Ugandan contacts that were infected. The one surprising detail that is left out is the 14 cases belong to one family, they are not random people from the Democratic Republic of Congo but relatives who noticed that they could get health care in Uganda and did everything in their power to get into Uganda to get the health care that could save their lives.

No new case has been reported for the last 9 days. They general public has been advised to continue observing the SOPs but besides that, live in moving on normally. Apart from large gatherings, nothing else has been suspended.

The common misconception

There is Ebola in Democratic republic of Congo therefore all Uganda border districts are infected. It is important to note that the Ebola cases in Uganda didn’t come from the border districts.

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Uganda Safaris and Self Drive Trips

Besides the travel bans, Uganda safaris are still going on uninterrupted. Whether you had booked a guided safari or self drive safari, you can still continue with your safari without any restrictions.

What to look out for?

There are some delays at the airport and the border points due to screening. This is the biggest Ebola challenge at the moment not necessarily the infections. You will likely be inconvenienced by the delays at the airport and the border points. Beyond these points, everything else in moving on normally.

In conclusion; Uganda is open and safe for travel. Should you have any inquiries regarding rescheduling your gorilla trekking permits, or chimpanzee tracking permits, do not hesitate to contact us. As of today, the situation is almost getting back to normal.