President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent continental unity and stronger public health responses following new Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, warning that the risk of regional spread is growing amid high population movement and insecurity in the region.
In a statement issued from Pretoria and Addis Ababa on Sunday, Ramaphosa, speaking in his capacity as African Union Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, praised both governments for their rapid detection and declaration of the outbreaks involving the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola Virus Disease.
The outbreak in the DRC was confirmed in Ituri Province, while Ugandan authorities confirmed infections in Kampala after laboratory testing. Ramaphosa said early reporting and swift action were essential in preventing a wider continental health emergency.
“We stand in solidarity with the Governments and peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, particularly affected communities and frontline health workers,” Ramaphosa said.
He also commended neighbouring countries that have strengthened emergency coordination, border surveillance and preparedness measures in response to the outbreaks.
The president praised the work of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention under Director-General Jean Kaseya, as well as the World Health Organisation, for rapidly mobilising support and coordinating a continental response similar to systems used during Africa’s mpox outbreaks.
Health authorities are intensifying surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing and infection prevention measures in affected areas. Officials are also working to improve access to treatment and strengthen public awareness campaigns to reduce transmission.
Ebola is one of the world’s deadliest viral diseases, with fatality rates ranging from 25% to as high as 90% depending on the strain and access to treatment. The virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms typically begin with fever, fatigue, muscle pain and headaches before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea, internal bleeding and organ failure in severe cases.
The Bundibugyo strain, first identified in Uganda in 2007, has caused several outbreaks in Africa but is considered less deadly than the Zaire strain that devastated parts of West Africa between 2014 and 2016. That epidemic killed more than 11,000 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and exposed major weaknesses in global pandemic preparedness.
The DRC has experienced more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks over the past five decades, largely because the virus is endemic in parts of the country where human interaction with infected wildlife is common. Uganda has also battled recurring outbreaks, including a major epidemic in 2022 that resulted in dozens of deaths before it was declared over.
Ramaphosa warned that porous borders, humanitarian crises and armed conflict in some affected areas increase the danger of cross-border infections.
“Ebola does not respect borders,” he said, urging African countries to intensify information sharing and surveillance at formal and informal border crossings.
He further appealed for the protection of women, children and adolescents during the crisis, warning that essential healthcare services should not collapse while governments focus on containing Ebola.
The president also used the outbreak to renew calls for stronger African investment in healthcare systems, particularly as international donor funding declines.
“These outbreaks are a reminder that Africa must continue investing in resilient public health systems and regional health security architecture,” Ramaphosa said.
He called on African Union member states and international partners to provide urgent financing, medical support and technical assistance to affected countries.
Ramaphosa said Africa possesses the experience and institutions needed to contain the outbreaks but stressed that success would depend on “urgency, unity and collective action.”
