East African Community health ministers have established a regional Ebola taskforce to coordinate surveillance, information sharing and emergency response efforts as the outbreak of the disease continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The decision was reached during an extraordinary meeting of EAC health ministers held June 1-2, amid growing concern about the regional implications of the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
Under the new arrangement, the EAC Regional Technical Taskforce on Ebola Response and other high-consequence diseases will bring together experts from partner states and the EAC Secretariat to monitor the outbreak, coordinate technical interventions and provide regular updates to policymakers.
“The Taskforce will comprise experts nominated by Partner States and the EAC Secretariat and will be responsible for monitoring the outbreak, coordinating technical interventions, reviewing epidemiological trends and providing regular reports to Ministers and other EAC policy organs,” the ministers said in a communiqué issued after the meeting.
The move comes as health authorities warn that the outbreak remains active in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with cross-border transmission risks continuing to concern public health officials.
According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak has spread across multiple locations in eastern Congo and into neighboring Uganda. As of June 3, Congo had recorded 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths, while Uganda had confirmed 15 cases, including one death. WHO said response efforts are improving but remain challenged by gaps in contact tracing, insecurity and limited access to some affected communities.
The outbreak was first declared on May 15 after health authorities in both countries confirmed cases linked to the Bundibugyo virus, a rare Ebola strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The World Health Organization subsequently declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Health ministers said partner states would be required to nominate experts to the new taskforce and strengthen real-time sharing of epidemiological information to support early detection of cases and coordinated response measures.
Public health experts have repeatedly emphasized that rapid information sharing is critical in controlling Ebola outbreaks, particularly in regions with significant cross-border movement of people and goods.
The EAC, whose member states include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, has previously deployed mobile laboratories and emergency response teams to support outbreak preparedness and disease surveillance efforts across the region.
The latest WHO assessment notes that the outbreak is unfolding in a complex environment marked by insecurity, population displacement and intense cross-border trade, factors that can accelerate transmission and complicate containment efforts.
The newly established taskforce is expected to serve as the bloc’s primary technical coordination mechanism as member states seek to prevent further regional spread of the virus.
