Ten African nations are facing a high risk of an Ebola virus outbreak following a recent spike in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) issued the warning on Saturday during a virtual briefing addressing the continent’s current health status.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of the Africa CDC, explicitly identified the vulnerable nations during the press session. The high-risk list includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Zambia.
With the sole exception of Ethiopia, all the newly designated high-risk countries directly border either the DRC or Uganda. Health officials noted that intense cross-border population movements, mining-related mobility, and regional trade links significantly increase the likelihood of geographic transmission.
To combat the threat, the Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a joint funding appeal for over $314 million. While the bulk of these funds will be funneled directly into containment efforts in Congo and Uganda, approximately $54 million is designated to support preparedness in the ten at-risk nations.
The allocated contingency funds will focus on establishing national incident management systems, deploying emergency response teams, and pre-positioning critical medical stocks. Additionally, regional health authorities aim to accelerate research on vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain driving the current outbreak.
The current crisis escalated after Congolese health authorities declared an outbreak in Ituri province on May 15, which rapidly spread to North and South Kivu. The WHO has reported roughly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths in the DRC, prompting the global body to elevate its alert level to “very high.”
In response to the growing caseload, local governments in the epicenter have banned social gatherings of more than 50 people and suspended sports activities to limit human-to-human transmission. Meanwhile, neighboring Uganda reported three new cases on Saturday, bringing its total count of confirmed infections to five.
Despite the heightened alert, the Africa CDC has firmly advised against broad travel bans and trade restrictions, criticizing recent international travel blocks as counterproductive.
The agency maintains that isolating affected nations causes severe economic damage and instead urges global partners to focus resources on stopping the virus directly at its source.