Africa: Africa CDC Expresses Solidarity With Kenya and Calls for Stronger Regional Ebola Preparedness

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has demonstrated solidarity with Kenya in the wake of the nation's first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease, which resulted in the patient's death. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, conveyed condolences to the deceased's family and to Kenya's government and people.

A high-level team from Africa CDC is currently en route to Kenya to extend appropriate support. Dr Kaseya praised Kenya's swift identification, isolation, and testing of the patient, who had traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda, stayed briefly in Uganda, and then flew to Kenya. The country has reportedly identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, and is tracing an additional 23 passengers and crew members who traveled with the patient.

Kenya has maintained a high level of vigilance since the outbreak's onset, urging the public to remain calm and rely on official information while encouraging healthcare workers to reinforce infection prevention and control measures. The incident underscores the necessity of continued preparedness across the region, encompassing enhanced surveillance, cross-border information exchange, laboratory readiness, rapid response capacity, and infection prevention and control.

The case also highlights the ongoing regional risk associated with transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where community transmission continues to fuel the response. Although Africa CDC acknowledges the DRC's significant efforts to contain the outbreak, including transparency and cooperation, more than 70% of new cases remain undetected in the community among individuals who were not initially identified, listed, or followed as contacts.

This suggests that transmission chains persist and continue to evade the response system. Dr Kaseya urged the DRC government to expedite the implementation of a village- and community-focused approach, emphasizing active case finding, systematic contact identification, daily follow-ups, and strengthened community engagement. To curb the outbreak, every contact must be identified, monitored, and rapidly identified if they develop symptoms before transmitting the virus to their family, community, or across borders.

The response must be led by Africa, united, transparent, and centered on communities. Only when the final chain of transmission is interrupted can the outbreak be controlled. Africa CDC, in collaboration with the United States government and other partners, has facilitated the mobilization of approximately US$2.9 billion to support the response.

Dr Kaseya emphasized the importance of transparency regarding the resources pledged, disbursed, received, and utilized, as every dollar invested in the outbreak must be traceable to the tangible results achieved on the ground.