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Uganda Travel Advisory

Travel advisory december 28, 2023, uganda - level 3: reconsider travel.

Uganda Level 3 – Reconsider Travel C T O

Reissued with updates to terrorism information.

Reconsider travel to Uganda due to  crime, terrorism , and  anti-LGBTQI+ legislation . Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Country summary:  There remains a threat of  terrorist attacks  in Uganda and throughout the region. Numerous terrorist attacks have occurred in Uganda, to include religious venues, schools, and areas frequented by tourists, resulting in the deaths of Ugandans as well as foreign visitors.  U.S. citizens should remain alert and avoid large public gatherings. In October 2023, ISIS-Central Africa claimed responsibility for killing two international tourists and a Ugandan driver within Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Violent crime , such as armed robbery, home invasion, and sexual assault, presents a serious threat to those visiting and residing in Uganda and can occur at any time, especially in larger cities, including Kampala, Jinja and Entebbe, in the Karamoja region, and along Uganda’s western and northern borders. Local police may lack appropriate resources to respond effectively to serious crime in most areas.

The May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act raises the  risk that LGBTQI+ persons, and those perceived to be LGBTQI+, could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death based on provisions in the law , and may be subject to mandatory reporting to the police if they are suspected of committing or intending to commit acts in violation of the law, and could face harassment or attacks by vigilantes. Those perceived to support the dignity and human rights of LGBTQI+ persons (including those of youth under the age of 18) could be prosecuted and imprisoned for multi-year sentences.   Even an unsubstantiated accusation of supporting the LGBTQI+ community can create risks from police and vigilantes.  Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Uganda.

If you decide to travel to Uganda:

• Remain alert and avoid large public gatherings.
• Keep a low profile.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as expensive watches or jewelry.
• Use caution when walking or driving at night.
• Remain with a group of friends in public.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Do not open your door for people at your hotel/residence unless you know who it is.
• Do not leave food and drinks unattended in public, especially in local clubs.
• Stay alert in locations frequented by foreign tourists.
• Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
• Carry a copy of your passport and visa (if applicable) and secure originals in your hotel safe.
• Provide your itinerary to a family member or friend.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Be mindful that any public identification with the LGBTQI+ community, as either a member or supporter, could be grounds for prosecution, and that even private consensual same-sex relations are illegal.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Uganda.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations.  Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
• Visit the  CDC page  for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.

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Global Health

U.S. to Begin Screening Air Passengers From Uganda for Ebola

There are no cases in the United States, but federal health officials also urged doctors to be vigilant for patients with symptoms.

By Apoorva Mandavilli and Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Worried by an outbreak of Ebola in Uganda, the Biden administration said on Thursday that travelers who had been to that country would be redirected to airports where they can be screened for the virus and warned physicians to be alert for potential cases in the United States.

No cases of Ebola have yet been reported outside Uganda, but the virus — which spreads only through contact with bodily fluids and is not airborne — is highly contagious. American officials are watching the Uganda outbreak closely because there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the type of Ebola virus causing the outbreak there.

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered the airport screenings, and the State Department issued an alert saying the measures would apply to all passengers, including U.S. citizens.

Screenings were expected to begin on Thursday for some passengers, but the travel restrictions will not go into effect until next week, according to an official familiar with the plan, who stressed that both the restrictions and the alert to doctors were issued as precautions.

As of Thursday, there were 44 confirmed cases and 10 deaths in Uganda, with a few dozen possible cases and 20 deaths still under investigation, making this the largest outbreak in that country in 20 years. At least six infections and four deaths occurred among health care workers.

Arriving passengers who have been in Uganda during the past 21 days will be funneled to one of five United States airports: Kennedy Airport, in New York; Newark Liberty International Airport, in New Jersey; O'Hare International Airport, in Chicago; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; and Dulles International Airport, in Washington, D.C.

An administration official said 62 percent of air passengers who have been to Uganda already go through those airports. Once in the United States, passengers will undergo temperature checks and fill out health questionnaires, which will be shared with local officials, before heading to their final destinations.

The C.D.C. also urged doctors to obtain a travel history from patients whom they suspect of having Ebola.

“While there are no direct flights from Uganda to the United States, travelers from or passing through affected areas in Uganda can enter the United States on flights connecting from other countries,” the C.D.C. alert said.

After the coronavirus pandemic and monkeypox outbreak, President Biden and other federal officials are well aware that infectious disease outbreaks also carry political risks, which may account for the administration’s caution. But there is also precedent for travel restrictions.

In February 2020, after the coronavirus emerged in China, the Trump administration barred entry by most foreign nationals who had recently visited the country and put some American travelers under a quarantine as it declared a rare public health emergency.

And amid an Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, the Obama administration forced passengers to fly to U.S. airports with screening procedures in place. President Barack Obama himself became engaged in the Ebola response after cases emerged in the United States.

Ebola is a rare and deadly disease, seen mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The infection begins with mild respiratory symptoms, but left untreated can rapidly damage internal organs.

Patients eventually bleed from their eyes, nose, mouth and rectum — dramatic symptoms that have stoked fear of the virus. Ebola kills about half of those infected on average, usually within two weeks of the appearance of symptoms.

The C.D.C. and the World Health Organization both provide information on how to diagnose and treat patients infected with the virus.

The outbreak was first detected in Mubende, Uganda, but has already spread to four other districts in a 75-mile radius. There will be many more cases and deaths before the virus can be contained, said Dr. Fiona Braka, emergency operations manager at the W.H.O. regional office for Africa, based in Brazzaville.

“We are concerned because we still haven’t reached the peak,” Dr. Braka said.

The virus was circulating undetected for some time, and even after the first patient was diagnosed, health officials have been able to trace only three-quarters of the people who may have been exposed, Dr. Braka said.

The remaining contacts have scattered, raising the possibility that cases will sprout in other parts of the country or the world.

Ebola is highly contagious, and previous outbreaks have quickly spiraled out of control. The largest tore through West Africa in 2014 and accounted for more cases than all previous ones combined. By its end, the W.H.O. reported 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths.

The toll included 11 Americans, nine of whom contracted the disease outside the United States. Two of them died.

The World Health Organization has twice declared a public health emergency of international concern — the organization’s highest alert — for Ebola: in 2014, and again in 2019 , when the virus surfaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The vaccines and treatments approved for Ebola target the Zaire species, the primary source of previous outbreaks. But they are ineffective against the Sudan species now circulating in Uganda.

Anticipating that vaccines against the Sudan species might someday be necessary, scientists have been working on at least eight candidates.

The furthest in development is a single-dose vaccine developed by the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, which has been licensed to the Sabin Vaccine Institute.

The vaccine has been shown to be safe, produces copious antibodies against the virus, and is highly protective against the Sudan virus in monkeys. About 100 doses are readily available.

Another vaccine candidate, made by a British team, targets both Zaire and Sudan species, but is in early-stage trials. Only 81 doses are available.

Both candidates could be made available in clinical trials during the current outbreak, pending approval from Ugandan health authorities.

Sabin also has enough bulk material to produce 40,000 doses of its vaccine, stored at a biotech company called ReiThera, in Italy. But filling and finishing those doses in vials will take at least until the end of the year, according to Dr. Rick Koup, acting director of the federal vaccine center.

Health officials came up against similar hurdles in acquiring doses of the monkeypox vaccine, which hindered the response in the initial weeks of the U.S. outbreak. That vaccine is still in short supply worldwide.

“These are two rapid succession cases where clearly we need to come up with a better solution,” Dr. Koup said.

Few facilities can fill and finish vaccines, creating a bottleneck when doses are urgently needed. On the other hand, finished doses expire more quickly, requiring emergency stocks to be constantly replenished.

Two months ago, Dr. Koup said, he would have predicted that finishing doses of a suddenly needed vaccine was “not going to be a big issue.” But in hindsight, he said, “obviously, we should have had a few thousand doses filled.”

Activists lauded federal scientists for having the foresight to develop vaccines for emerging pathogens. But instead of relying on private companies, the government should own and control a vaccine manufacturing facility that can be used during an outbreak, said James Krellenstein, a founder of PrEP4All, a group that promotes access to H.I.V. care.

“How many outbreaks do we have to watch spiral out of control because of the lack of vaccine manufacturing capacity before the U.S. government fixes this problem?” Mr. Krellenstein said. “The thing that’s very frustrating is, this is really a fixable problem.”

Scientists have also been developing so-called monoclonal antibodies that can broadly neutralize multiple species of Ebola and reverse symptoms. One dose of an antibody cocktail has been shown to ease even severe symptoms in monkeys infected with the Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo species of Ebola. But the treatment is still in early-stage trials.

“If you go fishing for these rare rainbow unicorn antibodies, you can certainly find ones that are cross-neutralizing and cross-protective” against various types of Ebola, said Kartik Chandran, a virologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York who helped develop the treatment.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we had another Ebola outbreak that wasn’t caused by Zaire,” he added.

In Uganda, officials have moved quickly to scale up the response to the unexpected outbreak. Contact-tracing continues to increase, and about 950 village health officials in the affected districts have been trained to watch for symptoms. They have been given personal protective equipment, thermometers and beds, Dr. Braka said.

Learning from previous outbreaks, officials moved testing from the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe to a mobile lab in Mubende, the outbreak’s epicenter, she added. Confirmation of the diagnosis now takes just six hours.

Apoorva Mandavilli is a reporter focused on science and global health. She was a part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the pandemic. More about Apoorva Mandavilli

Sheryl Gay Stolberg is a Washington Correspondent covering health policy. In more than two decades at The Times, she has also covered the White House, Congress and national politics. Previously, at The Los Angeles Times, she shared in two Pulitzer Prizes won by that newspaper’s Metro staff. More about Sheryl Gay Stolberg

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Global Health

Travelers coming to the u.s. from uganda will face enhanced screening for ebola.

Halisia Hubbard

Doctors walk in the Ebola isolation section of Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, in Mubende, Uganda, on Sept. 29. Ugandan health officials have declared an Ebola outbreak in several regions of the country. Hajarah Nalwadda/AP hide caption

Doctors walk in the Ebola isolation section of Mubende Regional Referral Hospital, in Mubende, Uganda, on Sept. 29. Ugandan health officials have declared an Ebola outbreak in several regions of the country.

Ugandan health officials declared an Ebola outbreak in several regions in late September . Now, travelers who have been to the African country within 21 days of arriving in the U.S. will be subject to enhanced screening, according to a health alert issued Thursday by the U.S. Embassy in Uganda.

So far, cases from this outbreak have only been detected in Uganda.

Passengers from that country will be routed to one of five airports: New York's John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Chicago O'Hare International or Washington D.C.'s Dulles International. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection are adding new screening measures at the airports.

Guinea Faces First Ebola Outbreak In Years

Ebola virus disease, also referred to as EVD, is passed among humans through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids or objects and surfaces contaminated with such fluids.

According to the World Health Organization , the average fatality rate for Ebola is about 50%. The WHO says this outbreak appears to have been caused by Sudan virus, which it describes as a "severe, often fatal illness affecting humans." There are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Sudan ebolavirus.

The Congolese Doctor Who Discovered Ebola

The CDC recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to the affected districts in Uganda, and to avoid contact with sick people and dead bodies. Travelers should also isolate and seek medical help if any symptoms appear, such as fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.

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• Section 2 - Interactions Between Travel Vaccines & Drugs
• Section 2 - Travelers’ Diarrhea

Yellow Fever Vaccine & Malaria Prevention Information, by Country

Cdc yellow book 2024.

Author(s): Mark Gershman, Rhett Stoney (Yellow Fever) Holly Biggs, Kathrine Tan (Malaria)

The following pages present country-specific information on yellow fever (YF) vaccine requirements and recommendations, and malaria transmission information and prevention recommendations. Country-specific maps are included to aid in interpreting the information. The information in this chapter was accurate at the time of publication; however, it is subject to change at any time due to changes in disease transmission or, in the case of YF, changing entry requirements for travelers. Updated information reflecting changes since publication can be found in the online version of this book and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travelers’ Health website. Recommendations for prevention of other travel-associated illnesses can also be found on the CDC Travelers’ Health website .

Yellow Fever Vaccine

Entry requirements.

Entry requirements for proof of YF vaccination under the International Health Regulations (IHR) differ from CDC’s YF vaccination recommendations. Under the IHR, countries are permitted to establish YF vaccine entry requirements to prevent the importation and transmission of YF virus within their boundaries. Certain countries require proof of vaccination from travelers arriving from all countries ( Table 5-25 ); some countries require proof of vaccination only for travelers above a certain age coming from countries with risk for YF virus transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines areas with risk for YF virus transmission as countries or areas where YF virus activity has been reported currently or in the past, and where vectors and animal reservoirs exist.

Unless issued a medical waiver by a yellow fever vaccine provider, travelers must comply with entry requirements for proof of vaccination against YF.

WHO publishes a list of YF vaccine country entry requirements and recommendations for international travelers approximately annually. But because entry requirements are subject to change at any time, health care professionals and travelers should refer to the online version of this book and the CDC Travelers’ Health website for any updates before departure.

CDC Recommendations

CDC’s YF vaccine recommendations are guidance intended to protect travelers from acquiring YF virus infections during international travel. These recommendations are based on a classification system for destination-specific risk for YF virus transmission: endemic, transitional, low potential for exposure, and no risk ( Table 2-08 ). CDC recommends YF vaccination for travel to areas classified as having endemic or transitional risk (Maps 5-10 and 5-11 ). Because of changes in YF virus circulation, however, recommendations can change; therefore, before departure, travelers and clinicians should check CDC’s destination pages for up-to-date YF vaccine information.

Duration of Protection

In 2015, the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices published a recommendation that 1 dose of YF vaccine provides long-lasting protection and is adequate for most travelers. The recommendation also identifies specific groups of travelers who should receive additional doses, and others for whom additional doses should be considered (see Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 26, Yellow Fever ). In July 2016, WHO officially amended the IHR to stipulate that a completed International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is valid for the lifetime of the vaccinee, and YF vaccine booster doses are not necessary. Moreover, countries cannot require proof of revaccination (booster) against YF as a condition of entry, even if the traveler’s last vaccination was >10 years ago.

Ultimately, when deciding whether to vaccinate travelers, clinicians should take into account destination-specific risks for YF virus infection, and individual risk factors (e.g., age, immune status) for serious YF vaccine–associated adverse events, in the context of the entry requirements. See Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 26, Yellow Fever , for a full discussion of YF disease and vaccination guidance.

Table 2-08 Yellow fever (YF) vaccine recommendation categories 1

Malaria prevention.

The following recommendations to protect travelers from malaria were developed using the best available data from multiple sources. Countries are not required to submit malaria surveillance data to CDC. On an ongoing basis, CDC actively solicits data from multiple sources, including WHO (main and regional offices); national malaria control programs; international organizations; CDC overseas offices; US military; academic, research, and aid organizations; and the published scientific literature. The reliability and accuracy of those data are also assessed.

If the information is available, trends in malaria incidence and other data are considered in the context of malaria control activities within a given country or other mitigating factors (e.g., natural disasters, wars, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic) that can affect the ability to control malaria or accurately count and report it. Factors such as the volume of travel to that country and the number of acquired cases reported in the US surveillance system are also examined. In developing its recommendations, CDC considers areas within countries where malaria transmission occurs, substantial occurrences of antimalarial drug resistance, the proportions of species present, and the available malaria prophylaxis options.

Clinicians should use these recommendations in conjunction with an individual risk assessment and consider not only the destination but also the detailed itinerary, including specific cities, types of accommodations, season, and style of travel, as well as special health conditions (e.g., pregnancy). Several medications are available for malaria prophylaxis. When deciding which drug to use, consider the itinerary and length of trip, travelers’ previous adverse reactions to antimalarials, drug allergies, medical history, and drug costs. For a thorough discussion of malaria and guidance for prophylaxis, see Sec. 5, Part 3, Ch. 16, Malaria .

Entry requirements : Required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old.

CDC recommendations : Recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old.

• Chloroquine
• P. falciparum (primarily)
• P. malariae , P. ovale , and P. vivax (less commonly)
• Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine 3

Other Vaccines to Consider

See Health Information for Travelers to Uganda .

1 Current as of November 2022. This is an update of the 2010 map created by the Informal WHO Working Group on the Geographic Risk of Yellow Fever.

2 Refers to Plasmodium falciparum malaria, unless otherwise noted.

3 Tafenoquine can cause potentially life-threatening hemolysis in people with glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Rule out G6PD deficiency with a quantitative laboratory test before prescribing tafenoquine to patients.

4 Mosquito avoidance includes applying topical mosquito repellant, sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net, and wearing protective clothing (e.g., long pants and socks, long-sleeve shirt). For additional details on insect bite precautions, see Sec. 4, Ch. 6, Mosquitoes, Ticks & Other Arthropods.

5 Primaquine can cause potentially life-threatening hemolysis in people with G6PD deficiency. Rule out G6PD deficiency with a quantitative laboratory test before prescribing primaquine to patients.

6 P. knowlesi is a malaria species with a simian (macaque) host. Human cases have been reported from most countries in Southwest Asia and are associated with activities in forest or forest-fringe areas. P. knowlesi has no known resistance to antimalarials.

Yellow Fever Maps

2 In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded its YF vaccination recommendations for travelers going to Brazil because of a large YF outbreak in multiple states in that country. Please refer to the CDC  Travelers’ Health website for more information and updated recommendations.

3 YF vaccination is generally not recommended for travel to areas where the potential for YF virus exposure is low. Vaccination might be considered, however, for a small subset of travelers going to these areas who are at increased risk for exposure to YF virus due to prolonged travel, heavy exposure to mosquitoes, or inability to avoid mosquito bites. Factors to consider when deciding whether to vaccinate a traveler include destination-specific and travel-associated risks for YF virus infection; individual, underlying risk factors for having a serious YF vaccine–associated adverse event; and destination entry requirements.

The following authors contributed to the previous version of this chapter: Mark D. Gershman, Emily S. Jentes, Rhett J. Stoney (Yellow Fever) Kathrine R. Tan, Paul M. Arguin (Malaria)

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