Africa CDC convenes emergency virtual meeting as Bundibugyo virus spreads across three African regions, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
African health ministers have been urged to strengthen cross-border surveillance, mobilise emergency funding and coordinate disease-control measures as an escalating Ebola outbreak threatens public health security across the continent.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) convened an extraordinary virtual ministerial meeting on October 28, 2026, to assess the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus and accelerate the response across affected and at-risk countries.
The meeting comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to battle the continent’s largest current outbreak, while imported cases have been confirmed in Kenya and Nigeria. The spread across Central, Eastern and Western Africa has heightened concerns about the capacity of national health systems to detect infections early and prevent further transmission.
Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya has called for stronger political leadership, greater solidarity and faster mobilisation of continental resources to contain the outbreak. The agency had announced the ministerial meeting as an opportunity to reinforce coordination, support affected countries and strengthen preparedness in neighbouring states.
“Ebola is crossing borders. Our response must move faster, with stronger coordination, greater solidarity and decisive political leadership,” Kaseya said ahead of the meeting.
The discussions are also expected to inform preparations for a summit of African heads of state and government under the leadership of Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the African Union chairperson. <Link url=”https://africacdc.org/news-item/africa-cdc-convenes-african-ministers-of-health-as-ebola-outbreak-spreads-across-three-regions/” title=”Africa CDC’s ministerial meeting announcement”/>.
Outbreak puts health systems under pressure
Data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on October 28 showed that the DRC had reported 10,141 confirmed cases and 4,928 deaths, based on information available through October 26.
Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria had reported one confirmed case. The outbreak has also involved cases in Uganda, where authorities previously reported 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, and France, where one infection was confirmed in a returning humanitarian doctor.
The figures illustrate the challenges facing African governments as infections move through travel networks and family or healthcare contacts. However, case numbers and transmission links remain subject to investigation and updates by national authorities.
In Kenya, health officials have been monitoring contacts linked to the outbreak. By October 26, 20 contacts had completed the 21-day follow-up period, while another 98 remained under monitoring, according to the ECDC’s situation assessment.
Nigeria’s case has similarly raised concerns about international travel and the need for coordinated contact tracing. Investigations have continued into the patient’s exposure and travel history, demonstrating the importance of sharing epidemiological information between countries.
The World Health Organization has warned that sustained transmission in the DRC, coupled with difficulties in early detection and timely access to care, continues to drive the emergency. Its October 23 assessment reported 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths in the DRC as of October 20, before subsequent updates raised the totals.
