AU health agency warns of Ebola risk across ten African nations

The African Union’s health agency issued a warning on Saturday indicating that ten African countries are at risk of being affected by the Ebola virus. This alert applies to nations in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where outbreaks are currently active. The agency’s statement highlights a broadening institutional concern regarding the potential spread of the pathogen across the continent.

The warning comes as the World Health Organization has declared the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. Data from the global health body indicates that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has resulted in 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths across the two nations. Of these, 51 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two in Uganda.

Risk assessments for the outbreak have been revised upwards in recent days. On Friday, the World Health Organization classified the risk as “very high” at the national level in Uganda and “high” at the regional level. Despite these elevated localised risks, the agency maintains a “low” global risk assessment, distinguishing between the intense regional transmission and the broader international threat.

Key locations associated with the current transmission include Ituri province and North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Kampala and Bunia. The concentration of cases in these specific regions has driven the heightened risk classifications by the World Health Organization, prompting the African Union’s broader warning regarding the ten additional countries.

The African Union’s identification of ten countries at risk suggests a vulnerability to transmission rather than confirmed active outbreaks in those specific nations. The agency did not specify which ten countries were included in the risk assessment. The warning underscores the need for continued surveillance and preparedness measures across the continent as health authorities manage the ongoing emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.