Uganda has ordered the immediate closure of its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as suspected cases of a rare strain of Ebola surge toward 1,000 in the country to its west. The decision, announced on Wednesday by Uganda's Ebola task force, follows a rise in local health workers exposed to the virus through Congolese patients who crossed into Uganda before the outbreak was officially declared on 15 May. The DRC, a vast Central African nation that shares a 765-kilometre border with Uganda, is experiencing its 17th recorded Ebola outbreak, which has already claimed some 228 lives.

Under the new measures, travel across the border will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances — including for Ebola response teams, humanitarian operations, food and cargo transportation, and security purposes — and all such movement will be subject to strict health screening. "Uganda is temporarily closing the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo with immediate effect," said Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary of Uganda's Ministry of Health, adding that anyone entering from the DRC under emergency conditions would be placed in mandatory self-isolation for 21 days. Uganda itself has reported seven suspected Ebola cases, including the death of a 59-year-old man in Kampala, the capital, on 14 May.

The closure puts Ugandan authorities at odds with the World Health Organization, which, while declaring the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, has actively discouraged border shutdowns. The WHO warns that closures tend to push the movement of people and goods toward informal, unmonitored crossings — of which there are many along this heavily traversed border — potentially accelerating the very spread they are designed to prevent. The border region sees heavy daily traffic, with communities on both sides crossing regularly to visit family or trade.

The economic consequences are already raising alarm in Uganda's business community. The DRC is one of Uganda's most important export markets, with trade worth more than two billion dollars annually, according to the Uganda Manufacturers Association. Its executive director, Ezra Muhumuza, has called on both governments to establish secure transit zones where truck drivers can wait safely, warning that vehicles carrying perishable goods risk being damaged or destroyed if left stranded. Uganda's Transport Minister David Bahati defended the restrictions, posing a blunt question: "What is more important — doing business or saving lives?"

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected or deceased individuals, with healthcare workers and family caregivers facing the greatest risk. The disease typically manifests as haemorrhagic fever. Ugandan authorities say the measures will remain in place for as long as the health situation warrants, underscoring the difficult balance between containing a dangerous outbreak and maintaining the flow of people, goods, and humanitarian aid across one of the region's busiest borders.