EAC to hold emergency health ministers' meeting over Ebola outbreak

The East African Community (EAC) will convene a two-day extraordinary virtual meeting of health ministers starting Monday, June 1, to coordinate a regional response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting parts of the region, the bloc said in a statement on Sunday.

The meeting will focus on strategies to contain the outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment.

The EAC, in its statement, noted that the high-level session is part of urgent regional efforts following outbreaks reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

The statement added that the outbreak is concentrated in eastern DR Congo, particularly in Ituri Province, a high-mobility area that raises concerns about further regional spread.

EAC Secretary General Stephen Mbundi said the bloc is strengthening preparedness through coordinated surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, infection prevention, and risk communication.

"We are working closely with member states, Africa CDC and the WHO to prevent cross-border transmission and protect public health," Mbundi said.

Key interventions include deploying nine mobile laboratories at strategic border points, activating a pool of more than 180 rapid response experts, and rolling out specialized training for health workers, he added.

The EAC is also supplying personal protective equipment and advancing plans for a regional framework to fast-track approval of Ebola vaccines and diagnostics, the secretary general said.

The bloc urged member states to enhance surveillance, public awareness and emergency preparedness measures.

As a regional intergovernmental organization, the EAC comprises eight countries that work together to promote economic, political, and social integration. The member states are Burundi, the DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.