By: Joseph Mary Buwule.
KYANKWANZI: The Vice President of Uganda Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo has addressed the African Union high-Level meeting of the Heads of State and urged for the lifting of air travel restrictions imposed on Ugandans over an Ebola outbreak which has split over from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
“While I appreciate the need for vigilance, blanket restrictions undermine confidence in countries that report outbreaks openly, and are not commensurate with the actual risk. I thank the countries that have kept their borders and routes open, demonstrating confidence in Uganda’s evidence based public health measures,” Alupo said as she represented President Yoweri Museveni at the virtual meeting hosted by the chairperson of the African Union and president of Burundi, H.E Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Alupo said Uganda has been transparent from the outset, promptly sharing information and implementing robust measures that have consistently prevented the exportation of Ebola cases beyond our borders.
“I want to categorically inform the International community that Uganda cannot export cases of Ebola beyond our borders. The air travel restrictions imposed on Uganda are really unfair and I urge ambassadors and airline operators to kindly lift the ban,” the vice president said.
To date, Uganda has registered 19 confirmed cases, of whom 7 have successfully recovered and have been discharged, while the country sadly mourns the loss of two lives.
While these developments provide encouragement, VP Alupo noted that the country remains vigilant. “Ebola is a disease that recognizes no borders, and no country can afford complacency. Our experience has repeatedly demonstrated that outbreaks in one country quickly become a concern for the entire region and continent,” she said.
She informed the heads of state that Uganda has activated a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response, guided by strong political leadership, community engagement, surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and control measures, and cross-border collaboration, adding that sustained success will require coordinated regional action.
On behalf of government of Uganda, Alupo respectfully called upon all African member states to strengthen our collective response through the following actions: instituting and strengthening entry and exit screening measures at airport, points of entry, and land border crossings in accordance with the guidance of the world Health organization and established International Health regulations.
Secondly, the vice president asked member states to work towards a standardized regional public health locator system for departing and arriving travelers to facilitate timely tracing and follow-up where necessary.
Thirdly, Alupo appealed to African member states to promote transparency and the real-time sharing of epidemiological information. “Timely exchange of data remains one of our effective tools for preventing cross-border transmission and informing evidence-based decision-making,” she said.
Fourth, she urged members to intensify coordinated resource mobilization, leveraging both domestic financing and support from development partners to ensure that response efforts are adequately funded and sustained.
Alupo further urged member states to safeguard continuity of essential health services, emphasizing that Uganda has made significant progress in areas such as routine immunization, maternal and child health, malaria prevention, and primary health-cares services. “we cannot allow an outbreak to reverse these gains. Our response must therefore protect both public health security and essential healthcare delivery,” she said.
Additionally the vice president told member states to sustain high-level political commitment across the continent stressing that strong leadership remains indispensable in mobilizing resources, maintaining public confidence, and ensuring accountability for outbreak response.
She called upon member states to further strengthen cross-border collaboration in surveillance, laboratory systems, risk communication and community engagement, emergency preparedness, and coordination mechanisms.
The vice president highlighted that the fight against Ebola is not the responsibility of any one nation, but a collective responsibility that demands solidarity, vigilance, and sustained commitment.
She reaffirmed Uganda’s shared determination to protect our populations, strengthen our health systems, and prevent the spread of Ebola across the continent.
She finally reiterated Uganda’s commitment to working closely with all member states, the African Union, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and all partners to achieve this goal. Attendees included the Minister of Health Dr. Chris Baryomunsi and the ministry’s Permanent secretary Dr. Diana Atwine.