The head of Africa’s top health body is calling on the United States to drop its Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Tuesday he has written to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking for the ban to be lifted. He made the remarks at a conference in Accra.
“There is no reason for the U.S. to continue with this travel restriction,” Kaseya told attendees.
He also asked other African countries to back the letter as a show of solidarity with nations hit by the outbreak. The current epicenter is in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda has not reported a new Ebola case in about a month. Its last patient was discharged on July 16, which started a 42-day countdown. Under WHO rules, the country can be declared Ebola-free after that period with no new infections.
So far Uganda has recorded 20 cases. Congo has reported more than 2,400.
“It’s time today to lift the status, and then we’ll continue to support DRC on the challenge they are facing,” Kaseya said.
The U.S. began restricting entry in May for travelers coming from Congo. Last week it expanded the rules to include some travelers who had recently been in Uganda or South Sudan.
