Uganda deploys health workers to DR Congo to support Ebola response

Uganda has deployed a team of health workers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the neighboring country, a senior health official said on Monday.

Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at Uganda's Ministry of Health, made the remarks during a meeting with visiting World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Kampala.

According to a post by the ministry on the social media platform X, Atwine said Uganda is also setting up 50-bed treatment units this week to support Ebola response efforts in eastern DRC, the epicenter of the current outbreak.

She added that two mobile laboratories have already been established in the border towns of Bwera and Arua to support Ebola testing and diagnostic services for cross-border response.

Tedros commended Uganda's commitment to responding to Ebola and expressed confidence in the country's ability to manage the disease.

The WHO chief, currently on a visit to Uganda to support the country's Ebola response, urged continued support for the DRC’s efforts to contain the outbreak.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health, Uganda has recorded 19 confirmed Ebola cases so far, including 14 among people who entered from the DRC and five Ugandan nationals. Two of the infected individuals from the DRC have died.