African leaders and global health partners have called for urgent mobilisation of resources to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, warning that delays could trigger wider regional spread and more deaths.
The call was made during a high-level virtual ministerial briefing convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the African Union, where stakeholders endorsed a continental response plan requiring at least US$319 million between June and November 2026.
The funding is expected to support outbreak control in affected countries and preparedness efforts in at least 11 high-risk African Union member states.
Health officials warned that the outbreak could become one of the most severe in recent years if not urgently contained, noting risks of cross-border transmission driven by insecurity, weak surveillance systems, and delayed detection.
Africa CDC Director-General, Dr Jean Kaseya, said the response required strong coordination and verification of pledged resources to ensure funds are properly aligned with priority needs.
He added that the Incident Management Support Team (IMST) would work with partners to validate contributions and ensure effective deployment of resources on the ground.
Leaders disclosed that nearly US$500 million has already been pledged or committed by governments, development partners, and humanitarian organisations.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who also serves as AU Champion for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, said African countries had contributed about 10 per cent of the required funding, demonstrating growing ownership of outbreak response efforts.
He also announced that South Africa had doubled its earlier pledge to US$5 million in support of Africa CDC’s response plan.
The Gates Foundation committed US$15 million, with US$5 million going to Africa CDC and US$10 million to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that response teams were already “playing catch-up” due to delayed detection, adding that the situation remains extremely serious.
He said insecurity, population displacement, and attacks on health facilities in eastern DRC were further complicating containment efforts.
He also noted that no approved vaccines or therapeutics currently exist for the Bundibugyo strain, making rapid detection and public health measures critical.
Health ministers from DRC, Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt, and Burundi stressed the importance of cross-border coordination, stronger laboratory systems, and improved information sharing to prevent wider spread.
The DRC Health Minister, Dr Roger Kamba, called for sustained international support, warning that ongoing insecurity in eastern regions continues to hinder response operations.
Gavi CEO Dr Sania Nishtar said efforts were underway to accelerate vaccine research for the strain and ensure equitable access once medical tools become available.
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