The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has issued a serious warning that 10 African countries are at risk of being swept into the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa.
Speaking on Saturday, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya revealed that the virus—already spreading beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda—could endanger Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Kaseya stressed that “high mobility and insecurity” across the region are accelerating the threat of cross-border transmission.
The warning follows the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the outbreak as an international emergency, with hundreds of suspected cases and more than 170 suspected deaths reported in eastern Congo.
On May 18, Africa CDC escalated its response, designating the outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.” The agency cited fragile health systems, insecurity, and constant population movement as factors that could fuel wider regional spread.
Ebola, a severe viral disease transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, can cause intense bleeding, organ failure, and death.
The current outbreak reinforces the urgent need for coordinated action to prevent a humanitarian disaster across multiple nations.
