East African Community (EAC) ministers responsible for health began an extraordinary virtual meeting in Arusha on Monday to deliberate regional measures against the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

 

The meeting, which runs until Tuesday, June 2, is considering regional actions to contain the outbreak.“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 Stephen Mbundi, the EAC Secretary-General.“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.”Mbundi said the regional bloc is taking urgent, coordinated action to strengthen preparedness and support partner states in responding to the outbreak.“The convening of this high-level meeting is part of a series of urgent actions the EAC Secretariat has initiated, having already intensified regional coordination and preparedness measures following the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda,” a statement from the EAC Secretariat said.“These actions include an emergency EAC Crisis Meeting; meetings of the EAC Technical Working Group (TWG) on Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases; and the TWG on Harmonisation of Regulations for potential Ebola vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.”The EAC Secretariat, working with national ministries of health, regional institutions, Africa CDC, WHO and partners including Germany and the European Union, is implementing several interventions to support Ebola preparedness and response across the region.“The extraordinary ministerial session will provide strategic guidance and coordinate the regional response across partner states,” Mbundi said.

One of the key initiatives is the activation of the EAC mobile laboratory network, a project funded by Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW) and supported technically by the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM).

Outbreak spreadThe Ebola outbreak was officially declared on May 15, 2026. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare variant for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.

The outbreak has mainly affected the DRC, particularly Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Ituri remains the epicentre, especially Mongbwalu, an area characterised by high population mobility and significant cross-border movement, raising concerns about further regional spread.

As of May 31, there were 282 confirmed cases, 42 confirmed deaths and two recoveries. Congolese authorities were also investigating 220 suspected cases. Uganda had reported seven confirmed cases and one death, with the first two cases involving patients who had travelled from the DRC and sought treatment in Uganda.

The EAC Secretariat is facilitating the deployment of nine mobile laboratories at strategic cross-border locations and points of entry to support rapid testing and disease surveillance.

The locations include Beni in North Kivu Province, DRC; the Busia border in Kenya; the Nimule-Elegu border in South Sudan; the Kobero border in Burundi; the Kagera and Kigoma regions in Tanzania; the Kisenyi and Kihundwe health districts in Rwanda; and Bwera Hospital in Kasese District, Uganda.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute, the EAC Regional Centre of Excellence on Virology, is strengthening the laboratory diagnostic response as a regional referral laboratory and providing specialised training.

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