The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday handed over a renovated isolation unit for early detection and prevention of disease outbreaks at Mutukula town on the Tanzania-Uganda border. A statement by the WHO said the renovation of the unit, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, was handed over to Tanzania’s Ministry of Health in the Kagera region. The utilization of this unit at the Mutukula one-stop border point is set to facilitate screening measures on travelers to prevent cross-border transmission of diseases by detecting and prohibiting travel for exposed or ill travelers from affected areas.
“As a country bordered by neighbors, as well as being known for its influx of tourists, especially in a busy border area like Mutukula, the isolation center comes at an opportune time to strengthen our resilience against future outbreaks,” said Samwel Laizer, the Kagera regional medical officer. Like many countries, Tanzania has been responding to various emerging and re-emerging diseases, the statement added, noting that a key concern was the Marburg virus outbreak in 2023, which resulted in six deaths..
