Busia, Uganda | URN | Authorities in Busia District have intensified Ebola surveillance at the Uganda-Kenya border, screening travellers entering and leaving the country following reports of Ebola cases in Kenya.By Monday this week, Kenya had reported nine Ebola cases, including one death, prompting heightened vigilance at the Busia One Stop Border Post.
Busia District Health Officer Dr Mathias Wabwire Panyako said health teams were screening all travellers at the main border crossing to prevent the disease from spreading into Uganda.
Panyako said no Ebola case had been detected in Busia District. However, he warned that the numerous informal crossing points along the border posed a challenge to surveillance because travellers could enter Uganda without undergoing screening.
He urged travellers to use the designated border crossing and comply with screening procedures, saying the measures were necessary to protect the country from an outbreak. Uganda had previously been declared Ebola-free by the Ministry of Health.
Some residents have expressed concern that the movement of people between the two countries could undermine efforts to contain the disease.
Julius Ouma, a Busia resident, said cross-border marriages and family ties could increase the risk of transmission because some men maintain homes on both sides of the Uganda-Kenya border.
Another resident, Josephine Nangira, raised concern about informal crossing points stretching from the River Malaba towards parts of Port Victoria in Majanji.
She said people could cross through these routes without undergoing health screening, which she said was currently concentrated at the customs area.
Nangira appealed to the Ministry of Health and Busia District authorities to strengthen surveillance and address gaps along the porous border.
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