The Ebola outbreak escalated as the Africa CDC reported more than 1,100 suspected cases in Congo, Uganda

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has raised new concerns over the escalating Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda, revealing that more than 1,100 suspected infections are currently under investigation in the two countries.

This revelation was made by the Director General of the Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, in a commentary published by the Financial Times on Sunday, in which he warned that the epidemic poses a major challenge to Africa’s public health response systems.

According to Kaseya, health authorities had confirmed 263 Ebola cases in affected countries as of Saturday, while the death toll from confirmed infections had reached 43.

Despite the figures, he noted that the extent of the outbreak remains uncertain, with more than 1,100 suspected cases still under investigation.

The Africa CDC previously reported on Thursday that it had recorded 246 deaths suspected to be related to the virus.

Calling for a more urgent continental response, Kaseya stressed the need for quicker intervention and criticized Africa’s continued reliance on foreign aid during the public health emergency.

“We have to move as fast as this epidemic,” Kaseya added, criticizing Africa’s dependence on external financial support.

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In response to the crisis, the health ministers of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan recently approved a $319 million coordinated response strategy.

Kaseya urged other African countries and institutions to take advantage of the initiative to prevent the further spread of the disease.

“That momentum must now be extended to the entire continent,” Kaseya said, calling the latest Ebola outbreak a “serious test” for the Africa CDC and the African Union.

Warning that future outbreaks were inevitable, he added, “This outbreak will not be the last.”

The current outbreak was officially declared on May 15 in Ituri Province, northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country, home to more than 100 million people, continues to face significant health and economic challenges.

Health authorities have since confirmed the spread of the virus to three provinces in Congo, while other cases have also been detected in Uganda, raising concerns of wider regional transmission.

This outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. As a result, health officials have relied heavily on surveillance, isolation measures, public awareness campaigns, and other prevention strategies to contain the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an international health alert regarding the outbreak, although experts warn that available data may not accurately reflect the true scale of infections.

International health agencies believe that current figures may be too low due to challenges in case detection and reporting.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus continued his visit to Ituri Province on Sunday as part of efforts to support frontline health workers and affected communities.

Providing reassurance to citizens fighting the outbreak, Tedros said, “You are not alone in this. We are here, we are with you, and we will solve this together,” he said after arriving on Saturday.

Public health officials continue to monitor the situation closely amid concerns that further infections could put additional pressure on the region’s already weak healthcare system.