(NEW YORK TIMES)

Uganda closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, citing growing concerns about the possible spread of the Ebola virus, the country’s Health Ministry said.

The outbreak is centred in Congo’s Ituri province, which is on Uganda’s western border. Seven confirmed cases of the virus have already been reported in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

Dr Diana Atwine, the top official in Uganda’s Health Ministry, said the border would be closed temporarily.

"The only exceptions are for authorised Ebola response teams, the humanitarian operations, food and cargo transportation and security, but all this still will be under a strict health screening and monitoring protocols across the border,” Atwine said at a news conference in Kampala on Wednesday.

"All authorised entrants shall be subjected to strict health screening,” she said, adding that Uganda planned to send Ebola response teams to Congo.

More than 1,000 cases and more than 200 deaths have been recorded in the outbreak, largely in Congo, according to the World Health Organisation, which declared the outbreak a global health emergency on May 17.

The outbreak is the 17th in Congo and the third largest overall. But health experts say they are particularly concerned about this outbreak because there is not yet a vaccine to treat Bundibugyo Ebola, the species that is spreading.

Last week, the Ugandan government stopped flights in and out of Congo and postponed an annual festival that had been planned for June 3.

Ugandan officials have said that all of its Ebola cases are in quarantine and under medical supervision.

"Because of the measures put in place earlier, we have actually prevented many patients from coming in. Many were stopped at the border and advised to seek treatment at referral facilities within DRC,” Atwine said.