- Africa CDC chief demands removal of restrictions as Uganda records no new Ebola cases for three weeks.
- Uganda discharged its final Ebola patient on July sixteenth, twenty twenty-six, starting a forty-two day countdown.
- The current U.S. travel policy remains active until August twelfth, impacting tourism and international investment.
Jean Kaseya, the Africa CDC chief, asked the United States on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to lift Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda, saying the country has gone about three weeks without a new case and sent home its last patient on July 16. He spoke at an AU session in Accra, Ghana. The message was direct.
In a July 20 letter to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kaseya wrote:
"There is no reason for the U.S. to continue with this travel restriction. For the past three weeks, Uganda didn’t record a new case, and the last case was discharged on the 16th of July. Uganda is doing a great job."
Free toolB1/B2 Tourist Visa Stay Calculator online"Being transparent cannot lead to countries to be punished. It's time today to lift the status."
He accused the U.S. of punishing openness.
The request landed while U.S. entry restrictions stayed in force for travelers recently in Uganda, South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo. The policy uses enhanced screening, reroutes some travelers through designated airports, and applies temporary entry suspensions to certain non-U.S. citizens who visited those countries within the previous 21 days. A Do Not Board list also applies. The current order follows a May 18, 2026 announcement and a July 13, 2026 extension for another 30 days. The rules are broad.
Ugandan officials say the restrictions have hit tourism, international investment and business travel. Kaseya argues that countries should not be penalized for transparency because it can discourage outbreak reporting. South Sudan sits under the same rules despite Africa CDC noting zero confirmed cases there. The rules carry costs.
Uganda's outbreak data are still moving in the right direction. The current tally stands at 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, with 836 contacts already followed through surveillance. Health teams are monitoring 36 high-risk districts and 38 points of entry, a network meant to catch any flare-up quickly. No new confirmed case has been recorded since June 21. The line has flattened.
Uganda is still counting down 42 days
Under World Health Organization practice, Uganda must go 42 days after the last patient is discharged before officials can call the outbreak over. The final patient left on July 16, 2026, which put Wednesday at day seven. The period is twice the maximum incubation period of 21 days. The clock is still running.
That timeline gives Kaseya a concrete marker to cite. He said Uganda should not be treated like the DRC, where the epidemic is still surging. The agency wants Washington to separate a country with no new cases from one still in crisis. He drew that line publicly.
The outbreak across the border remains far worse. As of July 20, the DRC had 2,494 confirmed cases and 1,001 deaths since May 2026. The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus strain, and no licensed vaccine or specific therapeutic exists for it. The WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026. Fast.
CDC guidance still advises against non-essential travel to Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu and Tshopo provinces. In its July 13, 2026 extension order, the agency said the conditions behind the original suspension remain present and continue to pose a risk of introducing communicable disease into the U.S. The order also keeps some travelers under enhanced screening and monitoring. The warning stays on the books.
Behind the travel fight sits a much larger bill. Africa CDC estimates $1.4 billion is needed to contain the regional crisis, and warns that without urgent intervention the outbreak could become the largest Ebola outbreak on record. That number puts the scale in view. It is still open.
The U.S. order extended on July 13 stays active through August 12, 2026. As of Wednesday, the department had not issued a formal public response to Kaseya's request. The matter remains unsettled.
