The head of Africa's top public health agency has requested the U.S. lift travel restrictions on Uganda, citing no new Ebola infections in a month. The agency director-general urged support for the letter sent to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The request highlights the tension between public health concerns and the economic and social impact of travel restrictions, particularly for nations striving to demonstrate control over disease outbreaks.
ACCRA, Ghana – The head of Africa's top public health agency has formally requested that the United States lift its Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), stated that Uganda has not reported any new Ebola infections in approximately a month, making the restrictions unnecessary.
Kaseya conveyed this request in a letter to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He urged other African nations to support this appeal as a demonstration of continental solidarity with countries affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has its epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to World Health Organization guidelines, Uganda's last Ebola patient was discharged on July 16. This discharge initiates a 42-day countdown, after which the country can be declared free of the virus. Uganda has recorded a total of 20 Ebola cases, a significantly lower number compared to the over 2,400 cases reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The U.S. has implemented entry restrictions for travelers who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and also for some travelers who visited Uganda or South Sudan. These restrictions were initially imposed in May and were further tightened last week.
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