Ministers of Health from the East African Community (EAC) Partner States have endorsed a plan to harmonise Ebola Surveillance and protective measures at all airports, ports and land border crossings across East Africa.  

The agreement was reached during the 8th Extraordinary Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health, held virtually between June 1 and June 2, 2026.   

At the meeting, the ministers resolved to establish a dedicated regional technical task force to coordinate the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.   

The task force is set to comprise two technical experts from their health ministries and one from the ministry responsible for EAC affairs.  

The ministers raised concern about the need for a collective effort to prevent further cross-border transmission within the region. Further clarifying that Partner States need to implement surveillance and control measures in affected areas, at points of entry, and along porous borders in accordance with their national regulations and the World Health Organisation guidance.  

The proposed EAC Regional Technical task force will be responsible for monitoring the outbreak, coordinating technical interventions, reviewing epidemiological trends and providing regular reports to the Ministers and other policy organs.   

Real-time information sharing was a focus area during the meeting. According to the ministers, faster information sharing would enable them to facilitate early detection of cases and support a coordinated regional response.  

According to the CDC, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 363 confirmed cases, 62 confirmed deaths of Ebola Virus. It further reports that there are 15 confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda and one death.   

To combat Ebola, the ministers directed partner states to facilitate the deployment of EAC mobile laboratories and technical experts at strategic locations.   

The secretariat was directed to mobilise additional financial and technical resources to support surveillance and response activities. 

(Source: Citizen)