Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program Fellows Support Ebola Response Efforts
Authors: Sharon Namasambi1*, Pauline Achom1, Martha Dorcus Nalweyiso1, Patrick Pithua1 Institutional affiliation: 1Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda *Correspondence: Email: nabsharon@uniph.go.ug Tel: +256772511067
Uganda continues to strengthen its response to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak (Bundibugyo Virus Disease) through coordinated efforts led by the Ministry of Health Incident Management System, with technical and field-level support from partners including the Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (UPHFP).
The UPHFP fellows have contributed across several response pillars, including surveillance strengthening, case investigation, active case finding, contact tracing, data management, and descriptive epidemiological analysis to support evidence-based decision-making. These efforts have enhanced the early detection and verification of alerts while improving the quality and timeliness of surveillance data used to guide response activities at national and sub-national levels.
Fellows have also supported risk assessment and border health preparedness activities, particularly at Points of Entry (PoE). Working closely with district and national authorities, teams have strengthened traveller screening, risk assessment, and monitoring at designated border crossing points.
Additional contributions have included orientation of border health personnel, monitoring of cross-border population movements, verification of alerts, and implementation of measures to reduce the risk of cross-border transmission.
Through these multidisciplinary efforts, Uganda’s public health workforce continues to enhance national preparedness and response capacities, demonstrating the critical role of field epidemiology, surveillance systems, and border health security in protecting population health.
