African Leaders Pledge US$910 Million to Contain Ebola as Africa CDC Warns Time Is Running Out
By Michael Gwarisa African leaders, donors and international partners have pledged US$910 million towards containing the growing Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with health officials warning that delays in releasing funds could sharply escalate both infections and costs. The commitments were announced following a High-Level Emergency Meeting convened
Read More
635 Cases and Rising: Current Ebola Outbreak Far Exceeds Previous Bundibugyo Epidemics
By Michael Gwarisa The current outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease (BVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded since the strain was first identified nearly two decades ago, according to data from Africa CDC. As of June 9, 2026, the outbreak had recorded 635 confirmed cases and 127
Read More
WHO, Africa CDC launch US$518 million continental Ebola preparedness plan
Michael Gwarisa The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a US$517.7 million joint continental preparedness and response plan aimed at containing the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and preventing its spread across Africa. The six-month plan, covering June to November 2026, seeks to strengthen surveillance,
Read More
Zimbabwe Commences Ebola Screening, Requests Africa CDC Reagents Ahead Of Potential Spillover
Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has begun screening travellers for Ebola at ports of entry and activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals as the country intensifies preparedness measures against the deadly outbreak currently affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The government has also requested laboratory reagents from the
Read More
US Suspends Entry of Travelers From Uganda, DRC Over Ebola Outbreak Fears
Michael Gwarisa The United States has imposed emergency travel restrictions on travelers from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan following a growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, drawing concern from African health authorities who warned against punitive measures that could undermine outbreak response efforts. In an order issued
Read More
Ethiopia to Host 5th CPHIA Conference, Drawing 30,000 Public Health Experts
Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that Ethiopia will host the 2026 edition of the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA), one of the continent’s premier gatherings for health professionals and policymakers. The fifth CPHIA conference will take place from November 1 to 5 in Addis Ababa,
Read MoreAfrica’s Mpox Fight Faces Setback Without Urgent Delivery of 6 Million Vaccine Doses
By Michael Gwarisa As Mpox infections continue to surge in parts of Africa, health experts are sounding the alarm over a critical shortage of vaccines that threatens to derail the continent’s response efforts. Despite signs of a decline in cases in countries such as Uganda and Burundi, Africa’s stockpile of Mpox vaccines is rapidly depleting,
Read MoreAfrica CDC Confirms Mpox Vaccine Production to Start in 2025
By Michael Gwarisa The Director-General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC), Dr. Jean Kaseya, told a media briefing that local production of the Mpox vaccine on the continent will commence this year, although he did not provide specific timelines. In 2024, Africa CDC partnered with Bavarian Nordic to enhance vaccine manufacturing capabilities
Read MoreZimbabwe Records 90 Days Without Mpox
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is among the few African countries that have not recorded any new Mpox cases in the past three months, a top official at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said. In October 2024, Zimbabwe reported its first cases of Mpox, two months after the Africa CDC
Read More#JUSTIN: Africa CDC Declares Mpox A Public Health Emergency of Continental Security
By Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has officially declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), marking the first such declaration by the agency since its inception in 2017. This declaration, under Article 3, Paragraph F of the Africa CDC Statutes, empowers the
Read More