EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In Rwanda, on 13 October Formula 1 announced a 10-year agreement to host the African Grand Prix at a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera from the early 2030s, the first Formula 1 race in Africa since 1993, and a global marketing platform that no regional competitor can match. Aviation momentum also turned positive: KLM confirmed it will resume Amsterdam-Kigali-Entebbe services on its winter schedule starting 25 October, four times a week and subject to restrictions in force, after Entebbe was removed from the network following Ebola restrictions.

Uganda continued to widen its market reach and remove friction for visitors. On 2 October, Uganda's immigration authority confirmed that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory for entry, and the change is reflected on the e-visa portal. Vaccination remains strongly recommended, and certificates may still be needed at onward destinations. The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) hosted a 10-day Egyptian influencer and media familiarisation tour, including Murchison Falls, to open the Egyptian market, and Uganda staged the inaugural African Dragon Boat Racing Competition on Lake Victoria. Next door, Kenya opened the largest Magical Kenya Travel Expo on record, with more than 10,000 delegates, while introducing mandatory travel health insurance for all foreign visitors from 5 October.

The health picture moved in the wrong direction regionally, though not in Uganda or Rwanda. Kenya, which confirmed its first imported Bundibugyo Ebola case on 6 October, has since confirmed further cases, including the first infections passed on inside Kenya, with the Ministry of Health reporting seven cases by 17 October (an eighth was reported on 18 October) and no evidence of community spread. Uganda has had no new case since 21 June and Rwanda has none. The DRC outbreak reached 9,277 confirmed cases and 4,478 deaths as at 15 October. The US CDC renewed its entry order on 11 October, now running to 10 November.

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EBOLA WATCH - Ebola Watch Dashboard

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Figure 1: Map produced by CDC on 12 Oct 2026

Case Statistics (WHO Daily Epidemiological Update - data as at 15 October 2026)

UGANDA

Confirmed cases: 20 Confirmed deaths: 2 Recoveries: 18

Last confirmed case: 21 June 2026 WHO declaration: Outbreak formally declared over on 26 August 2026

Uganda's domestic outbreak remains resolved. No new confirmed case has been reported since 21 June and tourism operations remain fully open. The risk to monitor is importation: the Kenyan index patient transited Uganda by road from Beni to Kampala before flying to Nairobi on 3 October, and Uganda has been running contact tracing in support of Kenya. No Ugandan case has resulted.

WHO Daily Epi Update (15 October 2026)

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RWANDA

Confirmed Ebola cases: 0 Confirmed deaths: 0

Rwanda remains Ebola-free and fully operational for tourism. All national parks, Kigali International Airport and tourism services continue to operate normally. Rwanda keeps screening for travellers arriving from outbreak-affected provinces and remains outside the country-specific restrictions applied to Uganda.

DRC - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Confirmed cases: 9,277 Confirmed deaths: 4,478 Recoveries: 2,486

The DRC outbreak is still expanding. WHO Disease Outbreak News 619 confirms transmission remains intense across seven provinces (Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Sud-Ubangi and Tshopo), with 64 health zones affected, Alimbongo in North Kivu newly added, and a seven-day average of 72 new cases per day as at 6 October. The DRC outbreak is now the second-largest Ebola event on record. It does not affect park operations, permits or standard tourism routing in Uganda or Rwanda, but it continues to delay policy normalisation in source and transit markets.

WHO Daily Epi Update (15 October 2026) WHO Disease Outbreak News (6 October 2026)

KENYA

Confirmed cases: 2 Confirmed deaths: 1

Kenya's count is rising faster than the WHO series. The WHO and CDC series, which feeds our Ebola Watch dashboard, stood at 2 confirmed cases and 1 death as at 14 October. Kenya's Ministry of Health has since reported materially higher figures: seven confirmed cases on 17 October, including three health workers who treated the index patient and a relative, and a Reuters headline on 18 October reported an eighth. These are the first known infections passed on inside Kenya. Of the index patient's 130 listed contacts, 128 (98.5 percent) have been traced and quarantined, above the 85 percent benchmark, and the Ministry reports no evidence of community transmission. The Kenyan figure is therefore moving daily and the WHO series will lag it. Kenya remains rated elevated on the Ebola Watch advisory, with travel able to continue under enhanced screening.

Al Jazeera (17 October 2026) CDC Ebola Situation Summary (19 October 2026)

OUTBREAK TOTAL (All Countries)

Total confirmed cases: 9,300 Total confirmed deaths: 4,481 Total recoveries: 2,505

Totals are the WHO Daily Epidemiological Update series as at 15 October 2026 (DRC 9,277, Uganda 20, Kenya 2, France 1). They exclude the additional Kenyan cases reported by the Kenya Ministry of Health after 14 October. The PHEIC declared on 15 May 2026 remains in force.

WHO Daily Epi Update (15 October 2026)

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EBOLA-RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY (as at 19 October 2026)

Travel restriction position. The US CDC renewed its entry suspension order on 11 October, effective from 17.00 ET for 30 days, which now runs to 10 November 2026 unless modified earlier. The order continues to cover foreign nationals who have been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, and U.S. citizens are not restricted but are rerouted to designated airports for screening. Canada's measures affecting Uganda run to 27 November. The UAE lifted its Uganda entry restrictions on 26 September and keeps precautionary measures for the DRC and South Sudan.

Kenya is the new variable: with confirmed local transmission, operators should expect Kenya-linked itineraries and Nairobi connections to attract closer scrutiny from source markets. WHO has advised that the information available does not justify restrictions on travel to or trade with Kenya, Uganda or the DRC. Operators should continue checking client onward eligibility before confirming itineraries.

EIG Law (October 2026) Fragomen (October 2026)

US CDC order renewed to 10 November. The CDC order that expired on 11 October was renewed for a further 30 days, so the next decision point is 10 November, immediately after the WTM London week. Clients travelling to the United States after a Uganda safari remain affected, and U.S.-bound itineraries should be planned against the new expiry. The order applies to people recently in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan, so it continues to cover Uganda while the DRC outbreak continues.

CDC Ebola Situation Summary (19 October 2026) Federal Register (15 October 2026)

Nairobi transit now carries screening friction. Kenya has stepped up screening, including a dedicated gate for passengers from outbreak-affected countries at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and enhanced preparedness at the Busia and Malaba crossings with Uganda. Reuters reported that the index case exposed gaps in border screening. Travellers transiting Nairobi should expect additional health declarations and possible delays. Travel advisories for Uganda and Rwanda are otherwise unchanged.

US Embassy Nairobi (6 October 2026)

YELLOW FEVER UPDATE

Uganda drops the yellow fever certificate requirement for entry. Uganda's national citizenship and immigration authority confirmed on 2 October 2026 that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is no longer a mandatory condition of entry. The requirement has been removed from the Uganda e-visa portal and immigration website, and travellers at Entebbe and all land borders will no longer be asked for a yellow card. Many third-party travel sites and some airline systems have not yet updated and may still display the old rule, so clients should be advised to rely on the official portal and to carry their certificate for the first few weeks as a precaution against check-in confusion.

TravelBug Health (8 October 2026) SunAfrica Expeditions (October 2026)

Rwanda still requires proof of vaccination on entry from Uganda. Rwanda asks travellers aged over one year arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission to present a certificate, and Uganda is classified as a risk country. This has not changed with Uganda's own entry-rule update, and it applies at the land borders and at Kigali airport, so combined Uganda-Rwanda itineraries, the core regional product, still require certificates. Rwanda-only trips arriving directly from the UAE, the UK, Europe or the United States do not require a certificate, and CDC currently classifies the vaccine as generally not recommended for Rwanda-only travel.

CDC Travelers Health Rwanda (October 2026) TravelHealthPro Rwanda (October 2026)

Vaccination stays recommended, and onward rules still apply. The change removes paperwork, not necessarily the risk. WHO continues to recommend yellow fever vaccination for all travellers aged nine months and over visiting risk areas, and Uganda remains within the ‘yellow fever belt’. An unvaccinated traveller can still face certificate requirements at onward destinations, including Kenya, which requires a certificate from travellers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. This matters

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directly for combined Uganda-Kenya and Uganda-Tanzania itineraries and for anyone routing through Nairobi.

TravelHealthPro Kenya (October 2026) CDC Travelers' Health Kenya (October 2026)

Regional yellow fever picture. Yellow fever remains an active regional concern. WHO reports 16 confirmed human

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