East African Community health ministers will meet virtually to coordinate urgent regional response to Ebola outbreak in eastern Africa…reports Asian Lite News Desk
The East African Community (EAC) will convene an extraordinary virtual meeting of health ministers from June 1 to 2 to coordinate a regional response to an ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting parts of East Africa.
The emergency session has been called amid growing concern over cases linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment. The meeting will bring together health ministers from member states to align containment strategies and strengthen cross-border coordination.
According to a statement issued by the regional bloc, the outbreak has been reported in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with authorities warning of the risk of wider spread due to population movement across porous borders.
The statement noted that the outbreak is currently concentrated in eastern DRC, particularly in Ituri Province, an area characterised by high mobility and frequent cross-border activity, raising concerns among health officials about further regional transmission.
EAC Secretary General Stephen Mbundi said the bloc is intensifying preparedness measures in collaboration with member states and international partners.
“We are working closely with member states, Africa CDC and the WHO to prevent cross-border transmission and protect public health,” Mbundi said.
He said the regional response includes strengthened surveillance systems, improved laboratory diagnostics, enhanced infection prevention and control measures, and expanded risk communication campaigns across affected and neighbouring areas.
Mbundi added that the EAC has already begun deploying nine mobile laboratories at strategic border points to improve early detection and testing capacity. He also confirmed the activation of a regional pool of more than 180 rapid response experts who can be deployed quickly to outbreak hotspots.
In addition, the bloc is rolling out specialised training programmes for frontline health workers to improve preparedness and response capacity. These efforts are intended to ensure that health systems in member states can respond rapidly to suspected cases and prevent further transmission.
The EAC is also supplying personal protective equipment to frontline responders as part of its broader containment strategy. Officials are simultaneously advancing plans for a regional framework designed to fast-track approval and distribution of Ebola vaccines and diagnostic tools once they become available.
The statement urged all member states to intensify surveillance activities, strengthen public awareness campaigns, and reinforce emergency preparedness systems at both national and community levels.
As part of its coordination role, the EAC continues to work closely with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to align regional response efforts and ensure consistency in public health messaging.
The East African Community is an intergovernmental organisation comprising eight member states: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. It works to promote economic, political and social integration across the region while also addressing shared security and health challenges.
