The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that the Ebola outbreak spreading across parts of Africa is not yet undera control, raising concerns about continued transmission and the growing geographical spread of the disease.
Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, gave the warning on Friday during an interview on Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme.
According to Kaseya, the assessment followed a virtual meeting of African health ministers held on October 28, which brought together more than 42 ministers and over 600 participants, including representatives of international organisations and development partners.
He said the meeting reviewed the latest epidemiological data and the outbreak’s trajectory, revealing that transmission remained a major concern.
“We analysed the data and we saw that the outbreak is not yet under control,” he said.
Kaseya disclosed that the outbreak had resulted in more than 10,200 confirmed cases and 5,000 deaths across the continent.
“We have achieved what is a number of 10,000 people confirmed cases in DRC and also, if we put together, it’s more than 10,200 confirmed cases across the continent,” he said.
“We also saw that we have more than 5,000 people already passed on due to this outbreak.”
Ebola Outbreak Spreads Across African Countries
Kaseya also raised concerns about the changing geographical spread of the outbreak, noting that its epicentre was shifting.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya and Nigeria.
The DRC remains the worst-affected country, accounting for the overwhelming majority of infections and deaths.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the DRC had recorded 10,193 confirmed cases and 4,960 related deaths as of October 28.
Kenya had also reported nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, following an imported infection linked to the DRC.
Nigeria Monitoring Ebola Contacts
Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.
The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.
On October 26, she was medically evacuated to Switzerland for further treatment after her condition stabilised. Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated.
Following the evacuation, Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, said Nigeria had no confirmed Ebola cases.
However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) clarified that the development did not mean Nigeria had been officially declared Ebola-free.
The organisation explained that health authorities were still monitoring people who had contact with the patient and that Nigeria must complete the required 42-day monitoring period before an official declaration could be made.
In its October 29 situation report, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 62 contacts linked to the index case had been identified and were being monitored.
The agency added that no new contacts or symptomatic contacts had been identified in the preceding 24 hours.
The outbreak has heightened concerns about cross-border transmission and the ability of African countries to contain infectious diseases amid increased movement of people across the continent.
