By KPC Reporter
The East African Community (EAC) will hold an emergency meeting of health ministers next week to coordinate a regional response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak that has affected the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The Extra-Ordinary Virtual Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for Health is scheduled for June 1-2 and will focus on measures to contain the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare strain for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.
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The meeting comes amid growing concern over the spread of the disease in eastern DRC, particularly in Ituri Province, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak and is characterized by high population mobility and significant cross-border movement.
According to the EAC Secretariat, the outbreak was officially declared on May 15. As of May 26, DRC had reported 121 confirmed cases, including 17 deaths, alongside 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths among suspected cases.
Uganda had reported seven confirmed cases and one death by May 25, with the first infections linked to travelers arriving from DRC.
EAC Secretary General Stephen Mbundi said the regional bloc was intensifying efforts to strengthen preparedness and support partner states.
“We are mobilising regional mechanisms and working closely with Partner States, Africa CDC, WHO, and development partners to strengthen surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, risk communication, and rapid response capacities,” said Mbundi.
He added: “The EAC remains committed to ensuring that every outbreak meets a prepared community. Our focus is to support Partner States to prevent cross-border transmission while safeguarding the health, social wellbeing, and economic stability of East Africans.”
As part of the emergency response, the EAC is deploying nine mobile laboratories at strategic border points and cross-border locations in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan and DRC to enhance rapid testing and disease surveillance.
The laboratories are being supported through funding from the Government of Germany and technical assistance from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The regional bloc is also activating its pool of more than 180 emergency response experts and rolling out additional training for healthcare workers on Ebola case management, infection prevention and control, and the use of personal protective equipment.
In addition, the EAC has procured 500 sets of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers in DRC and Uganda, while discussions are underway to establish the bloc’s first joint regional framework for the approval and registration of Ebola vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
The EAC has urged partner states to strengthen surveillance at points of entry, enhance cross-border coordination and intensify public awareness campaigns as the region works to prevent further spread of the disease.
