Ebola: Africa CDC Council seeks stronger community action, cross-border cooperation

By Admin

The Advisory and Technical Council (ATC) of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for stronger community engagement, enhanced cross-border cooperation and increased frontline response capacity to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.

The call followed an extraordinary session of the council, Africa CDC's highest technical advisory body, where members reviewed the latest epidemiological developments and warned that the outbreak continues to expand in a challenging environment shaped by insecurity, population movement and transmission across multiple affected locations.

The council's deliberations built on earlier recommendations issued by the Africa CDC Emergency Consultative Group (ECG), an independent advisory body that has been guiding efforts to strengthen outbreak control, preparedness and cross-border coordination in affected and at-risk countries.

As of June 10, 2026, the outbreak had recorded a cumulative 681 confirmed cases and 126 deaths across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, representing a case fatality rate of 18.5 per cent.

The DRC remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 662 confirmed infections and 124 deaths. Most cases continue to be reported from Ituri Province. Uganda has so far confirmed 19 cases and two deaths.

Across both countries, health authorities have recorded 25 recoveries, while 6,525 contacts remain under follow-up. The outbreak has also affected frontline health personnel, with 34 healthcare workers infected, including 29 in the DRC and five in Uganda.

ATC members expressed deep concern over growing insecurity in affected areas, citing attacks on health facilities, including incidents in which Ebola treatment centres were set ablaze. They warned that insecurity, coupled with misinformation, is undermining efforts to bring the outbreak under control.

According to the council, rebuilding and sustaining community trust must remain central to the response. Members called for stronger engagement with community health workers, traditional leaders and civil society organisations to improve public cooperation and outbreak management.

The meeting also cautioned against border closures and unnecessary travel restrictions. Such measures, the council noted, can disrupt essential services, discourage transparency and ultimately make disease surveillance more difficult.

Instead, Member States were urged to intensify joint surveillance efforts, strengthen information-sharing systems, improve referral mechanisms and coordinate risk communication activities across borders.

"Our assessment is clear: Africa must respond with science, solidarity and strong community engagement," said Dr Eduardo Samo Gudo, Chairman of the ATC.

Council members also identified several operational gaps hampering response efforts. These include shortages of epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory specialists, logisticians and risk communication experts.

To address these challenges, the ATC outlined a number of priority actions. These include expanding laboratory capacity in hotspot areas through the deployment of molecular diagnostics and rapid diagnostic tests; strengthening case investigation, contact tracing, laboratory confirmation, isolation, clinical care, infection prevention and control measures; conducting readiness assessments in unaffected areas and closing identified preparedness gaps; reinforcing One Health surveillance by integrating human, animal and environmental health data; and improving humanitarian access and civil-military coordination to enable response teams to safely reach affected communities.

The council further underscored the need for African-led solutions backed by stronger domestic resource mobilisation, sustained financing and political commitment at all levels.

Given the continued spread of the outbreak and the operational challenges confronting response teams, the ATC recommended that Ebola should continue to be classified as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Concern.

The Africa CDC Advisory and Technical Council is a statutory technical advisory body established under the Africa CDC framework. Made up of experts from across African Union member states, the council advises the Africa CDC Director General and supports the Executive Council by providing evidence-based recommendations that guide continental policies, strategies and emergency response actions.