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The Ugandan government has launched a coordinated campaign against what it describes as inaccurate and misleading reporting on the country’s Ebola situation, warning that exaggerated accounts are damaging livelihoods, disrupting economic activity and undermining confidence in the country’s public health response.
The latest intervention came after Foreign Affairs Minister-designate Adonia Ayebare announced that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) had agreed to revise aspects of its Ebola reporting following concerns raised by Ugandan authorities.
“Today I had a productive call with Dr Jean Kaseya, Head of Africa CDC, and he agreed to correct the errors in their reporting on Ebola cases in Uganda,” Ayebare said.
According to Ayebare, Uganda objected to reports that combined Ebola figures from Uganda with those from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arguing that such reporting created a misleading picture of the scale of infections within Uganda.
The disagreement comes amid a wider regional outbreak centred largely in eastern DRC, where health authorities have been battling a far greater number of infections. Ugandan officials maintain that while the country has recorded confirmed cases linked to cross-border transmission, the situation is significantly different from that in neighbouring Congo.
Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre Alan Kasujja accused some international organisations and media outlets of failing to distinguish between the two situations.
“The death was a Congolese national who had travelled to Uganda as a health tourist. Do not lump us with the DRC. It’s misinformation to do so,” Kasujja said.
He argued that Uganda’s cases are largely associated with movement across the porous border shared with eastern DRC, where recurring outbreaks have periodically spilled into neighbouring countries.
Kasujja warned that inaccurate reporting was already having economic consequences.
“Because of reckless narratives, livelihoods are being destroyed in Uganda. Entire industries are being affected,” he said.
Although he did not identify specific sectors, government officials have repeatedly expressed concern that perceptions of a widespread Ebola outbreak could affect tourism, trade, investment and regional commerce.
The government’s position was reinforced by ICT and National Guidance Minister-designate Justine Kasule Lumumba, who urged journalists and the public to rely on official information from the Ministry of Health.
“The Government of Uganda notes with concern inaccurate reports on Ebola,” Lumumba said.
She maintained that the outbreak remained under control and that health authorities had identified and were actively monitoring all known contacts linked to confirmed cases.
“Current facts show only eight confirmed cases with all contacts identified, listed and under active follow-up,” she said.
“I urge all media and citizens to rely only on official Ministry of Health updates.”
Uganda is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most experienced countries in responding to viral haemorrhagic diseases.
Over the past two decades, the country has developed extensive expertise in surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing and outbreak containment through its responses to Ebola, Marburg and other infectious diseases.
Health authorities continue to monitor contacts and enforce public health measures aimed at preventing further transmission.
Officials argue that portraying Uganda as the epicentre of a major Ebola outbreak despite relatively limited case numbers risks undermining public confidence and distracting from ongoing containment efforts.
The reporting dispute has also taken on a diplomatic dimension. Uganda’s engagement with Africa CDC culminated in the continental agency agreeing to revise aspects of its reporting, a move Kampala views as an important step towards ensuring greater accuracy in public health communication.
Beyond the immediate disagreement, Ayebare disclosed that Africa CDC plans to establish a regional pandemic preparedness and response centre in Uganda.
“He also informed me that a regional center on pandemics response will be established in Uganda,” Ayebare said.
The proposed facility is expected to strengthen disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and outbreak response capabilities across East Africa while reinforcing Uganda’s position as a regional hub for public health coordination.
Public health experts have long argued that stronger regional cooperation is essential in combating cross-border outbreaks in the Great Lakes region, where population movement frequently complicates containment efforts.
For Uganda, the planned centre represents both recognition of its public health capacity and an opportunity to strengthen regional health security. For now, however, officials say the immediate priority remains ensuring that reporting on Ebola accurately reflects the situation on the ground.
With surveillance, contact tracing and monitoring continuing, they insist that accurate information remains one of the most important tools in preventing panic and supporting an effective public health response.
, https://eastafricanwatch.net/uganda-cracks-down-on-ebola-misinformation-amid-public-health-concerns/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uganda-cracks-down-on-ebola-misinformation-amid-public-health-concerns
