EAC Urges Alert Over Ebola, Russia Sends Experts to Uganda

‎‎The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat has called on all Partner States to heighten surveillance, strengthen emergency preparedness and intensify cross-border coordination following confirmation of a new outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).‎

‎The outbreak was confirmed on 15 May, 2026 by the Minister in charge of Public Health and is centred in Ituri Province in eastern DRC, bordering Uganda and South Sudan. The response is being led by the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare of the DRC with support from partners.

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‎Preliminary reports indicate that the outbreak is affecting mainly the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with suspected cases also reported in Bunia, the provincial capital and a major transport hub in the region.

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‎As of 15 May 2026, approximately 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths had been reported. Laboratory testing had confirmed at least 13 positive Ebola samples out of 20 tested, including four confirmed deaths.

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‎The current outbreak is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the disease was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River. Two cases of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus, linked to travelers from the DRC, have been laboratory confirmed in Uganda, with one death reported in the capital city of Kampala.

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‎The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, said the new outbreak underscores the continuing threat posed by epidemic-prone diseases and the importance of regional solidarity and preparedness.

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‎“The EAC remains vigilant and fully committed to supporting Partner States in strengthening surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, particularly in border areas,” he said.

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‎Ariik further added that given the high level of movement of people and goods across our region, coordinated preparedness and rapid information sharing are essential to preventing cross-border transmission and protecting the health and livelihoods of East Africans.

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‎The EAC urges Partner States to activate national and cross-border preparedness plans, enhance screening and surveillance at points of entry, and ensure health workers and rapid response teams are equipped and trained to detect and respond to any suspected cases.

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‎The EAC is working closely with national ministries of health, regional institutions, Africa CDC, WHO and development partners, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacities across the region.

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‎This includes rapid activation of the EAC mobile laboratory network to support cross-border surveillance along the DRC border, with UVRI as the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence working closely with the EAC and BNITM to strengthen the laboratory diagnostic response in the region.

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‎Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness that affects humans and other primates. It is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected individuals, contaminated surfaces and materials, the bodies of people who have died from Ebola and infected animals such as bats and non-human primates.