The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that 10 countries, including Kenya, are at risk of being affected by Ebola as outbreaks continue in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya made the remarks on Saturday in Kampala, Uganda, where health experts from across the region have gathered to discuss preparedness and response measures against the outbreak.
According to Kaseya, Kenya, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia are considered at high risk due to their proximity to the DRC and Uganda, where Ebola cases have been reported.
Kaseya also pointed out that countries outside the immediate neighbourhood of the current outbreak zone are not being classified as high risk for now, although he warned that the situation could change depending on how the outbreak evolves and spreads.
“We are not calling all the other countries that do not border the two affected countries at risk for now, but depending on the way the outbreak is moving, we can reconsider,” he said.
Similarly, Kaseya outlined several challenges complicating response efforts in the DRC, warning that delayed detection remains a concern as some cases are only being confirmed weeks after initial transmission in communities.
He also noted that early symptoms are sometimes masked by the co-circulation of malaria and other arboviral diseases, making timely diagnosis more difficult.
While noting that there is currently no approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, Kaeya stressed that response efforts are relying heavily on infection prevention and control, isolation of confirmed cases and contact tracing.
He added that high population movement across mining areas and porous borders, combined with weak health systems and ongoing mistrust in some communities, could further complicate efforts to contain the outbreak.
“The combination of high mobility and insecurity is contributing to this outbreak beyond what we were expecting,” he said.
The development comes a day after the Africa CDC proposed the establishment of a continental Ebola Incident Management Support Team (IMST) in Kampala, aimed at improving how outbreaks are coordinated, monitored and managed across affected African countries.
The proposal was discussed in Kampala on Friday during talks between Kaseya and President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe.
“The HQ will be here to serve every part of the region that is affected. It will be very needed. I am grateful to President Museveni, who accepted to host the IMST in Kampala,” Kaseya said on Saturday.
