Post by Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI)

U.S. Department of State, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health - Uganda officials visit Imvepi Refugee Settlement to assess Ebola preparedness The road into Imvepi Refugee Settlement cuts through West Nile's dust, past homesteads and health posts that have absorbed successive waves of families fleeing conflict across the border. On Tuesday, 14 July 2026, that road carried a different kind of traffic: a convoy of US and Ugandan officials, arriving to ask a question. Is Uganda ready if Ebola reaches its refugee settlements? The delegation, led by US Chargé d'Affaires Mika Cleverly and Deputy Assistant Secretary Taylor Garrett, travelled with Uganda's State Minister for Primary Health Care, Dr Charles Ayume, and Terego District leaders. Their itinerary took them to sites that illustrate how a settlement functions: the OPM Base Camp, Yinga Health Centre III, and the Imvepi Reception Centre. At OPM Base Camp, conversations centred on coordination, the work of aligning government, UN agencies and humanitarian partners so that, if Ebola cases emerge, the response is immediate. At Yinga Health Centre III, the delegation saw the business of healthcare continuing alongside outbreak vigilance: mothers attending antenatal visits, children receiving care, and disease surveillance systems logging data in the background. At the Reception Centre, officials reviewed how arrived refugees are registered, screened and protected, the first point of contact where preparedness either holds or fails. Dr Ayume briefed the team on the Ministry of Health's measures to strengthen screening and isolation capacity, and to keep communities informed without triggering panic. Technical laboratory support for these efforts, including capacity strengthening, is provided by the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), part of the architecture that reinforces Uganda's surveillance systems in refugee-hosting districts. Ambassador Cleverly commended Uganda's open-door refugee policy, one of the most expansive on the continent, and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to health systems that can withstand outbreaks. Deputy Assistant Secretary Garrett said the visit offered a direct look at how US funding, channelled partly through the OCHA Pooled Fund, translates into services on the ground. But the day's most pointed message came from Terego District leaders, who welcomed the visit while pressing for more: continued investment in health staffing, water and sanitation infrastructure, without which, they said, both refugee welfare and Ebola prevention remain vulnerable. As Uganda works to protect one of Africa's largest refugee populations from the threat of an outbreak, Tuesday's visit was a reminder that preparedness is never finished business. It is built, tested, and rebuilt, one settlement, one health centre, one delegation at a time. #OneIDI #Ebola #Refugee