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Ebola in Uganda - update 7

21 Nov 2022

The World Health Organization reports continuing transmission of Ebola in Uganda. As of 18 November 2022, there have been 141 confirmed cases, including 55 deaths.

Cases have been reported from Mubende, Kampala, Kassanda, Wakiso, Bunyangabu, Kagadi, Kyegegwa, Masaka and Jinja Districts.

Due to increasing case numbers originating in Mubende District, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to advise against all but essential travel to Mubende District, Central Uganda.

Ebola is a type of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF). It is spread through contact with the blood, body fluids or organs of a person or animal with the infection.

Currently, there is no licensed vaccine available for UK travellers to prevent Ebola.

Advice to travellers

The risk to travellers becoming infected or developing Ebola is extremely low.

  • If you are travelling to a known Ebola outbreak area, you must be aware of the risk of infection and transmission routes of Ebola virus.
  • If you are medical personnel travelling to work in an outbreak region, you must follow strict infection prevention control guidance.

Before Travel

Before travelling to Uganda, you must consider the following advice:

Be aware that enhanced screening measures may be in place upon entry and exit from Ugandan airports. In addition, other countries may have enhanced screening in place at their borders for travellers arriving from Uganda, or who have recently travelled to Uganda.

  • Avoid travelling if you feel unwell. Even if your symptoms are unrelated to Ebola, you may still be at risk of being quarantined in a designated isolation facility.

You can minimise your risk of becoming infected or developing Ebola by:

  • avoiding direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of people who appear unwell, or touching the bodies of those who have died
  • avoiding touching potentially contaminated linen, clothing, or personal items from unwell people
  • avoiding close contact with wild animals and consumption of ‘bush meat’ from these animals
  • avoiding having unprotected sexual intercourse

General Travel Advice

You can reduce your risk of becoming unwell with more common travel-related diseases in Uganda, including malaria by:

If you think you may need vaccines, malaria advice and/or tablets, you should have a travel health risk assessment.

After Travel

If you become ill when abroad, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.

After returning to the UK if you develop a high temperature (fever) with or without additional symptoms (such as a headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, unexplained bleeding / bruising), and you have:

  • returned to the UK within 21 days from a region or area with a known outbreak of Ebola
  • had contact with individuals infected with a VHF

You should seek rapid medical attention by calling NHS 24 (Scotland) or NHS 111 (rest of UK), or by contacting your GP practice by telephone for advice.

  • Always remember to mention your recent travel history, and if you have travelled to a country infected with malaria as this will help identify what the problem could be.

For further information, see the fitfortravel Viral Haemorrhagic Fever page.