Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced an immediate three-week lockdown in two districts as Ebola infections begin to rise again. The announcement on Saturday halted movement in and out of the Mubende and Kassanda districts, aside from cargo trucks, and imposed a curfew, CNN reports.
The latest outbreak was officially declared on Sept. 20 and has infected at least 58 people with 19 reported deaths, reports NPR. Authorities were reportedly not quick to recognize the outbreak which started in a farming community, calling it a "strange illness" back in August.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The outbreak has also caused concern in the United States. Beginning on Oct. 6, all U.S.-bound passengers coming from Uganda were rerouted to just five airports where they were checked for symptoms, reports the Los Angeles Times. Currently, Ebola has no cure or vaccine. It is spread through bodily fluid contact and can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and internal and external bleeding, NPR explains.
This is Uganda's fourth Ebola outbreak. "These are temporary measures to control the spread," Museveni said in a televised address. "We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time."
-
Did Cop30 fulfil its promise to Indigenous Brazilians?Today’s Big Question Brazilian president approves 10 new protected territories, following ‘unprecedented’ Indigenous presence at conference, both as delegates and protesters
-
The best Christmas theatre shows across the UKThe Week Recommends Tip-top festive ballets, plays and comedies to book up now
-
Crossword: November 20, 2025The daily crossword from The Week
-
More adults are dying before the age of 65Under the radar The phenomenon is more pronounced in Black and low-income populations
-
Ultra-processed AmericaFeature Highly processed foods make up most of our diet. Is that so bad?
-
Tips for surviving loneliness during the holiday season — with or without peoplethe week recommends Solitude is different from loneliness
-
More women are using more testosterone despite limited researchThe explainer There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women
-
Climate change is getting under our skinUnder the radar Skin conditions are worsening because of warming temperatures
-
Is this the end of ultraprocessed foods?Today's Big Question California law and the MAHA movement are on the same track
-
Bluetoothing: the phenomenon driving HIV spike in FijiUnder the Radar ‘Blood-swapping’ between drug users fuelling growing health crisis on Pacific island
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
