Uganda shuts border with Congo as Ebola cases surge

GLOBAL EMERGENCY A health official uses a thermometer to screen people in front of Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday. —AP

Ugandan authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of the border with Congo “with immediate effect” amid a surge in cases of a rare type of Ebola in its neighbor and as cases emerge at home.

Uganda has reported seven cases of Ebola, including the first case of a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala, the capital, on May 14.

But while the Ebola case load in Uganda is not spiking, the number of locals exposed to infection via health workers has been rising.

The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths.