Ebola: EAC health ministers to hold emergency meeting

_________________

The East African Community (EAC) will convene an extraordinary meeting of health ministers next week to coordinate a regional response to the Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda amid growing concerns over cross-border transmission.

The virtual meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for Health is scheduled for June 1-2 and will focus on measures to contain the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, according to the EAC Secretariat.

The emergency ministerial session follows a series of urgent interventions already undertaken by the regional bloc, including crisis meetings, technical consultations and preparations for the deployment of mobile laboratories and emergency response teams across East Africa.

In a statement issued May 30, 2026, Lillian Kiarie, communications and media expert in the office of the EAC Secretary General, said the meeting would provide strategic guidance and strengthen coordination among Partner States as they respond to the outbreak.

The current Ebola outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026. It is linked to the Bundibugyo virus strain, a rare form of Ebola for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.

According to data presented by the EAC Secretariat, the DRC had recorded 121 confirmed cases and 17 deaths among confirmed cases by May 26.

Authorities had also registered 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths among suspected cases.

Uganda had reported nine confirmed cases and one death by May 30, 2026.

Health officials said the first two confirmed cases involved patients who had travelled from the DRC before seeking treatment in Uganda.

The outbreak has been concentrated largely in eastern DRC, particularly in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Ituri Province remains the epicentre, especially in Mongbwalu, an area known for intense population mobility and cross-border movements that health experts say could accelerate regional spread.

Regional response intensifies

EAC secretary general Stephen Mbundi said the regional bloc was intensifying preparedness and response efforts to support member states and prevent further transmission.

"We are mobilising regional mechanisms and working closely with Partner States, Africa CDC, WHO, and development partners to strengthen surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and rapid response capacities," Mbundi said.

"The EAC remains committed to ensuring that every outbreak meets a prepared community. Our focus is to support Partner States to prevent cross-border transmission while safeguarding the health, social well-being, and economic stability of East Africans," he added.

The Secretariat said it is working closely with ministries of health, regional institutions, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Government of Germany and the European Union to strengthen preparedness across the region.

Among the most significant interventions is the activation of the EAC mobile laboratory network, a project funded by the German government through the German Development Bank (KfW) and technically supported by the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Through the initiative, nine mobile laboratories are being deployed at strategic border points and high-risk locations to support rapid testing and surveillance.

The laboratories will be stationed in Beni in North Kivu Province of the DRC; Busia border in Kenya; Nimule-Elegu border between South Sudan and Uganda; Kobero border in Burundi; Kagera and Kigoma regions in Tanzania; Kisenyi and Kihundwe health districts in Rwanda; and Bwera Hospital in Kasese district, western Uganda.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), designated as the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence on Virology, is also strengthening diagnostic capacity by serving as a regional referral laboratory and providing specialised training.

Training and preparedness measures

The regional bloc is simultaneously rolling out the TEACH programme, an initiative implemented jointly with Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin under the GIZ-supported Pandemic Preparedness Project.

The programme aims to strengthen clinical management of high-consequence infectious diseases, including Ebola, across East Africa.

The first regional TEACH workshop was held in Nairobi from April 27 to May 1, 2026.

A second Training-of-Trainers workshop is planned for early June and will focus on the management of viral haemorrhagic fevers, critical care, infection prevention and control, and intensive practical exercises involving personal protective equipment.

Additional specialised training will be conducted for Emergency Medical Team members from Uganda and experts from South Sudan because of the heightened risk of cross-border transmission.

The EAC is also activating its Rapidly Deployable Expert Pool, a network of more than 180 multidisciplinary emergency responders from across the region.

The experts have previously supported responses to Ebola, Mpox, Marburg and Anthrax outbreaks and participated in cross-border training programmes that benefited nearly 300 health workers and public health specialists.

In collaboration with the German Epidemic Preparedness Team, Africa CDC and WHO, the EAC plans to provide refresher training and rapid upskilling for about 40 emergency responders in infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, outbreak management and risk assessment.

To bolster frontline preparedness, the EAC, with support from Germany, has procured 500 sets of personal protective equipment for health workers in the DRC and Uganda. Additional procurement is underway to support other Partner States.

Push for faster vaccine approvals

The Secretariat is also advancing plans for a regional mechanism to accelerate approval and registration of Ebola vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic tools.

Heads of National Medicines Regulatory Authorities recently met in Arusha to discuss establishing the EAC's first joint regional vaccine approval framework in collaboration with the African Medicines Agency, WHO and national health authorities.

The EAC has urged partner states to strengthen surveillance at border points, intensify cross-border coordination, activate emergency preparedness plans and increase public awareness campaigns.