Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 October 2026
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reaffirmed its support to Kenya following confirmation of the country’s first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease and the subsequent death of the patient.
H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, spoke with Kenyan authorities today and expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased, as well as to the Government and people of Kenya. Today, a high level and multidisciplinary Africa CDC team is flying to Kenya to provide appropriate support.
“I thank the Kenyan authorities for the rapid measures already put in place and reiterate Africa CDC’s full support. I will personally travel to Kenya in the coming days to assess, together with the national authorities, the needs of the response and any additional support required,” said Dr Kaseya.
Africa CDC commends the rapid identification, isolation and testing of the patient, who had travelled by road from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda, spent a night there before flying to Kenya.
Kenyan authorities have identified 28 contacts, including family members and health workers, and are tracing a further 23 passengers and crew members who travelled with the patient.
Africa CDC notes that Kenya has maintained a high level of vigilance since the beginning of the outbreak. The Ministry of Health has urged the public to stay calm and rely on official information, while calling on health workers to reinforce infection prevention and control measures.
H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya also spoke with Ugandan authorities and was encouraged by the immediate action taken to identify and isolate all contacts linked to this case.
Regional preparedness is critical
The confirmation in Kenya underscores the importance of sustained preparedness across the region, including stronger surveillance, cross-border information sharing, laboratory readiness, rapid response capacity, and infection prevention and control.
Africa CDC is working with Member States and partners to support coordinated preparedness and response, while strengthening support to countries affected by or at risk from the outbreak.
The case also highlights the continued regional risk linked to transmission in DRC.
Community transmission continues to drive the response in the DRC
Africa CDC recognises the significant efforts of the Government of DRC to contain the outbreak, including its cooperation and transparency throughout the response. Africa CDC acknowledges that important progress has been made but community transmission and effective contact tracing continue to pose major challenges. More than 70% of new cases are still being detected in the community among people who had not previously been identified, listed and followed as contacts. This indicates that transmission chains continue to escape the response system.
Africa CDC encourages the Government of DRC to accelerate implementation of the village- and community-centred approach, including active case finding, systematic identification of contacts, daily follow-up and stronger community engagement.
“To interrupt this outbreak, we must know where every contact is, follow them, and rapidly identify anyone who develops symptoms before they transmit the virus to their family, community or across borders. Our response must be African-led, united, transparent and centred on communities. We will only control this outbreak when the final chain of transmission has been interrupted,” Dr Kaseya said.
Mobilised resources must translate into results
Africa CDC, with the engagement of the Government of the United States and other partners, has helped mobilise approximately US$2.9 billion to support the response.
Africa CDC supports the call by the DRC authorities for greater transparency on resources pledged, disbursed, received and used.
“Every dollar mobilised for this outbreak must be traceable to the results it produces on the ground. Transparency is essential to protect the confidence of communities, governments and partners,” Dr Kaseya said.
The case reported in Kenya reinforces the need for sustained vigilance across the region. Africa CDC is calling on Member States to strengthen surveillance and cross-border information sharing, ensure laboratory readiness, reinforce rapid response teams, and maintain strong infection prevention and control measures.
Africa CDC will continue working alongside the DRC, Kenya, other Member States and partners to interrupt transmission chains and bring the outbreak to an end.
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About Africa CDC
Africa CDC is the public health agency of the African Union. As an autonomous institution, Africa CDC supports AU Member States in strengthening health systems, improving disease surveillance, and enhancing emergency preparedness and response. For more information, visit: http://www.africacdc.org and follow Africa CDC on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and YouTube.
Media enquiries: Directorate of Communications and Public Information, Africa CDC | Email: communications@africacdc.org
