UAE eases Ebola-related entry measures for Uganda
The announcement was made on September 26, 2026, by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).
UAE eases Ebola-related entry measures for Uganda
_______________
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it is easing precautionary entry measures introduced in June 2026 for nationals of Uganda in response to developments related to the Ebola virus.
However, precautionary measures currently applicable to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan will remain in effect in light of the ongoing epidemiological situation, authorities said.
The announcement was made on September 26, 2026, by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP).
The decision comes about one month after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Uganda Ebola-free on August 27, 2026, after the country completed the required 42-day period without recording a new confirmed case.
Mwinga said the 42-day period without a new confirmed case is the global standard for declaring an Ebola outbreak over.
She said completing the period provides additional assurance that no chains of transmission linked to the imported case reported in Uganda in May were missed.
The Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Dr Diana Atwine, said the declaration should also allow countries that imposed travel restrictions on Uganda following the Ebola case to lift the measures.
The decision followed continued assessment of the epidemiological situation and reflects the latest public health developments, including the end of the Ebola outbreak in Uganda following the completion of the internationally established monitoring period, the authorities said.
The visa suspension affecting the three countries came into effect on June 6, 2026, as part of measures to strengthen the UAE's preparedness and response to developments related to the Ebola virus.
NCEMA, MoHAP and ICP stressed that the UAE continues to closely monitor regional and international developments related to the Ebola virus. Precautionary measures will remain subject to ongoing review and will be adjusted as necessary in accordance with evolving risk assessments and approved public health standards.
More than 7,000 Ebola cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's worst outbreak of the disease ever, according to figures released earlier this month by Congolese authorities. The DRC officially detected the latest outbreak in mid-May, with nearly 3,400 people killed in its 17th epidemic of the highly infectious virus.
Uganda also reported cases of Ebola around the same time the DRC declared an outbreak. At the end of July, health minister Chris Baryomunsi officially declared Uganda Ebola-free.