Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI) — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday declared the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.
In a statement issued late Monday, the African Union’s specialized healthcare agency said, acting on the recommendations of its emergency consultative group, it has officially declared the ongoing outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS).
This came as about 395 suspected cases and 106 associated deaths have been reported in the DRC, mainly in the countries’ Mongwalu, Rwampara, and Bunia health zones, as well as in Kampala, Uganda, where two cases and one death have been reported, according to the latest data from the Africa CDC.
The agency also warned that the outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available, and that it carries a high risk of regional spread.
Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya highlighted that the declaration would strengthen regional coordination, facilitate rapid mobilization of financial and technical resources, reinforce surveillance and laboratory systems, support the deployment of emergency responders, and accelerate preparedness activities in neighbouring countries considered at heightened risk of transmission.
The Africa CDC further expressed concern over the high risk of regional spread due to intense cross-border population movement, mining-related mobility, insecurity in affected areas, weak infection prevention and control measures, community deaths occurring outside formal healthcare systems, and the proximity of affected areas to Rwanda and South Sudan.
“The confirmation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in interconnected countries reminds us once again that Africa’s health security is indivisible. We must act early, act together, and act based on science,” the Africa CDC chief said.
The agency has already deployed multidisciplinary experts, including specialists in epidemiology, infection prevention and control, laboratory systems, risk communication, logistics and emergency coordination.
(Photo Credit – File photo from the Africa CDC shows health experts responding to an Ebola Virus outbreak in the DRC.)
