EAC cautions member states over spread of deadly Ebola virus

A health worker checks a visitor’s temperature at Kyeshero Hospital in Goma as part of Ebola prevention measures, May 18, 2026. [AFP]

The East African Community (EAC) has urged its member states to heighten surveillance to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

The Ebola virus was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on May 15, 2026, in Ituri Province, bordering Uganda and South Sudan. 

Preliminary reports indicate that the outbreak is affecting mainly the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, with suspected cases also reported in Bunia, the provincial capital and a major transport hub in the region.

As of May 15, 2026, approximately 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths had been reported. 

Laboratory testing had confirmed at least 13 positive Ebola samples out of 20 tested, including four confirmed deaths.

This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC since the disease was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River. 

Two cases of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, linked to travellers from the DRC, have been laboratory confirmed in Uganda, with one death reported in the capital city of Kampala.

Yesterday, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, said the new outbreak underscores the continuing threat posed by epidemic-prone diseases and the importance of regional solidarity and preparedness.

“The EAC remains vigilant and fully committed to supporting Partner States in strengthening surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, particularly in border areas,” he said.

Ariik added that given the high level of movement of people and goods across our region, coordinated preparedness and rapid information sharing are essential to preventing cross-border transmission and protecting the health and livelihoods of East Africans.

"The EAC urges Partner States to activate national and cross-border preparedness plans, enhance screening and surveillance at points of entry, and ensure health workers and rapid response teams are equipped and trained to detect and respond to any suspected cases,'' the EAC said.

In a statement, the EAC Secretariat said it was working closely with national ministries of health, regional institutions, the Africa CDC, the WHO and development partners, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacities across the region.

This includes rapid activation of the EAC mobile laboratory network to support cross-border surveillance along the DRC border, with UVRI, the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence, working closely with the EAC and BNITM to strengthen the laboratory diagnostic response in the region.

Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness that affects humans and other primates. 

It is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of infected individuals, contaminated surfaces and materials, the bodies of people who have died from Ebola and infected animals such as bats and non-human primates.

The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days, and infected persons are not contagious until symptoms develop. 

Early symptoms include sudden fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and, in some cases, unexplained bleeding or bruising. 

Depending on the virus species and the availability of quality supportive care, case fatality rates can range from 25 per cent to more than 70 per cent.

There is currently no universally approved treatment for all species of Ebola virus, but early supportive care, including rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms, significantly improves survival.

Vaccines and therapeutics are available for some strains and continue to play an important role in outbreak control.