WHO commends Museveni for postponing Martyrs’ Day over ebola fears

________________ 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended President Yoweri Museveni for postponing the annual Martyrs’ Day celebrations, describing the decision as a critical step in preventing large-scale Ebola transmission.

In a statement issued today, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Prof. Mohamed Janabi, praised the Ugandan government’s leadership and commitment to protecting public health at a time when Ebola cases continue to rise in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

“Your Excellency President Museveni, I wish to express our sincere appreciation for your leadership and decision regarding the faith gathering planned for June 3. In the context of the Ebola outbreak, this action helps prevent the risk of large-scale transmission among millions,” Janabi said.

The WHO Africa office said the postponement demonstrated Uganda’s commitment to safeguarding communities and limiting the spread of the highly infectious Ebola Bundibugyo virus strain.

“The WHO Regional Office for Africa commends this important step, which demonstrates a strong commitment to protecting public health and safeguarding communities. We stand with Uganda in these efforts,” the statement added.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, also posted on his official X account; “We thank the Government of Uganda for their swift action and all precautionary measures to prevent Ebola from spreading further, including the postponement of Martyrs’ Day commemoration. We will continue to work closely together to protect the affected communities and to end the outbreak.”

On Sunday evening, Museveni announced the postponement of Martyrs’ Day following consultations with the national epidemic response taskforce and religious leaders.

The President said the decision had been taken because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims every year from eastern DRC, where Ebola cases and deaths have recently been reported. At least 88 people have so far died of Ebola in eastern DRC.

Museveni warned that the large movement of pilgrims across borders posed a significant public health risk amid the outbreak.

“This decision was made because Uganda receives thousands of pilgrims annually from Eastern DRC, which is currently experiencing an Ebola outbreak. To safeguard everyone's lives, it is essential that this important event be postponed,” he added.

Martyrs’ Day, commemorated annually on June 3 at Namugongo, is one of Uganda’s largest religious gatherings and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across Africa and beyond.

The annual pilgrimage honours the Uganda Martyrs, a group of Christian converts executed between 1885 and 1887 under Kabaka Mwanga II for refusing to renounce their faith.

Museveni also urged pilgrims who had already started travelling to return home and continue observing preventive health measures, including reporting suspected illness and seeking medical care immediately.

“We regret any inconvenience caused, but the protection of life must come first,” the President said.

Uganda has so far two cases confirmed imported Ebola cases linked to travellers from eastern DR Congo, prompting authorities to activate emergency response systems, intensify surveillance at border points and strengthen contact tracing and community mobilisation.

WHO declares international emergency

The escalating outbreak has now triggered global concern after the WHO declared the Ebola situation in Uganda and DRC, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the second-highest level of global health alert under international regulations.

Ghebreyesus said the outbreak poses a high regional risk because of cross-border population movement, insecurity in affected areas, as well as gaps in surveillance and contact tracing.

According to WHO figures released yesterday, the outbreak has so far recorded eight laboratory-confirmed cases, more 400 suspected cases, and at least 88 suspected deaths in Ituri Province in eastern DRC.

The agency also confirmed that several healthcare workers had died after contracting the virus in clinical settings, raising concern over infection prevention measures.

“The high positivity rate of initial samples, combined with confirmed cases in Kampala and Kinshasa, suggests a potentially much larger outbreak than currently detected,” WHO warned.

103 contacts identified for quarantine

As part of containment measures, the Health Ministry said at least 103 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have so far been identified, and measures are in place to place them under quarantine and daily monitoring for 21 days.

An official from the health ministry explained that surveillance teams are retracing the movements of the infected individuals to establish all possible exposure points and prevent further spread.

“We are trying to piece together the process to ensure that the track of these people, too, can actually be seen,” he added.

The ministry reassured the public that the risk of widespread exposure remains low because the patients reportedly travelled using private means rather than public transport.

“These were affluent people. They were able to hire transport, so, investigations so far suggest the risk remains controlled,” the official noted.

Uganda activates emergency response

Uganda has since heightened Ebola surveillance at border points, hospitals, and high-risk districts, especially in western Uganda, where movement between the two countries is frequent.

Rapid response teams, surveillance officers, laboratory personnel, and screening teams have been deployed across strategic entry points and health facilities as authorities attempt to stop any possible local spread.

Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said Uganda’s disease detection and emergency response systems remain strong due to experience gained from previous Ebola outbreaks.

“We have built up a very strong system of identification, detection and response to these outbreaks. That makes it possible for us to respond in real time,” Aceng said.

She explained that Village Health Teams and community health extension workers across the country have already been trained to detect and electronically report unusual illnesses directly to emergency operation centres.

The Ministry has also urged the public to remain vigilant, maintain proper hand hygiene, avoid direct contact with symptomatic individuals, and immediately report suspected cases.

Pilgrims stopped at border

Uganda’s containment measures also affected religious travellers after authorities temporarily stopped 77 Catholic pilgrims from DRC at the Mpondwe border in Kasese District for screening and surveillance.

The pilgrims, who were travelling on foot to Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo for this year’s Martyrs Day celebrations due on June 3, were by Saturday being temporarily hosted at St Michael Church-Kabuyiri near the border as health officials conducted screening procedures.

The faithful had travelled from the Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni in eastern DRC and are among thousands expected to participate in the annual Martyrs Day celebrations. According to the Health ministry, the temporary restrictions were necessary because of heightened concerns over cross-border transmission linked to the worsening outbreak in eastern DRC.

About Ebola, past outbreaks

Ebola is a severe, highly infectious viral disease spread through direct contact with infected body fluids or contaminated materials. It can be fatal if not detected and treated early. Symptoms include sudden fever, body weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea, and unexplained bleeding.

Kyobe urged the public to remain calm, maintain proper hand hygiene and immediately report anyone showing such symptoms.

Uganda has experienced several Ebola outbreaks over the past two decades, with the deadliest occurring in the year 2000 when the Ebola Sudan strain killed more than 220 people mainly in Gulu, Masindi and Mbarara districts.

The country has also previously recorded outbreaks of the Bundibugyo strain, including the 2007 outbreak in Bundibugyo District that killed 37 people.  More recently, Uganda battled another Ebola Sudan strain that broke out between September 2022 and January 2023, infecting at least 164 people and claimed 77 lives.