East Africa: EAC Ministers Agree to Harmonise Response to Ebola Outbreak

East African Community (EAC) health ministers have announced coordinated measures to curb the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak, including harmonised screening at borders and the creation of a regional taskforce to strengthen surveillance and response.

The decisions came during the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, held virtually on June 1-2, amid concerns of possible cross-border transmission of the current outbreak confirmed in DR Congo and Uganda.

The ministers cautioned that inconsistencies in border controls and screening could put neighbouring countries at risk of further Ebola transmission.

They agreed to standardise Ebola checks at airports, seaports, and land border crossings, including traveller health declarations and exit screening, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance.

They called for expanded community-level surveillance, risk communication, and sanitation measures in high-risk areas.

A Regional Technical Taskforce on Ebola and other high-consequence diseases will coordinate outbreak monitoring and interventions. Each member state will nominate experts from health ministries and EAC affairs, and epidemiological data will be shared in real time to detect new cases early.

The urgency of the measures is highlighted by recent figures. As of June 1, the DR Congo had reported 121 confirmed and over 1,000 suspected Ebola cases, with dozens of deaths. Uganda recorded 11 confirmed cases, including one fatality, and hundreds of contacts remain under active monitoring.

To strengthen detection, mobile laboratories and technical teams are being deployed to border points and outbreak hotspots. Ten mobile labs are already operating across the region, supporting rapid testing, with funding from German Development Bank KfW and technical support from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Ministers recommended training for frontline health workers and refresher courses for the EAC Pool of Rapidly Deployable Experts, covering infection prevention, risk communication, and outbreak response.

Personal protective equipment continues to be distributed to frontline teams, with additional shipments to Uganda and DR Congo. Efforts to fast-track regional approval of vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics are also underway, in coordination with continental and global health authorities.

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