Africa: Ebola Moving Faster Than the Response, Head of Africa CDC Warns

“Act now or pay a much higher price later.”

The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has yet to reach its peak, but treatment centres are already at saturation point, with health officials warning that far greater urgency is needed to contain the virus.

Since the outbreak was first declared in May, there have been more than 1,700 confirmed cases and 580 deaths from the Bundibugyo variant of the virus – for which there is not yet a dedicated treatment (although trials are underway) or a vaccine. Neighbouring Uganda has had 20 confirmed cases and two deaths.

In the DRC, contact-tracing coverage stands at around 60% of cases, leaving thousands of contacts undiscovered. That makes breaking the transmission chain all the harder, deepening fear and stigma.

The emergence of Ebola in areas marked by active conflict, displacement, and overstretched health services complicates the humanitarian response. But funding is also an issue. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched a six-month, $518 million regional plan, yet less than half of that amount has been secured.

In this Question and Answer, Dr Jean Kaseya, the director-general of Africa CDC, insists the outbreak can be stopped and communities protected – but only if the response is urgently scaled up.

The New Humanitarian: Did the current outbreak begin far earlier than May, and what does that say about the potential impact of USAID funding cuts and the threat of emerging pandemics more broadly?

Jean Kaseya: Yes, we are concerned that transmission started before the outbreak was officially confirmed. That is exactly why early detection, local surveillance, and community alerts are so important. When funding is cut from surveillance, laboratories, community health workers, rapid response teams, and local health systems, outbreaks are detected late. Late detection costs lives. It also costs far more money.

This outbreak is a warning. The next pandemic threat will not start in a boardroom or a conference hall. It will start in a community, a health facility, a market, a border area, or a conflict-affected zone. If those places are not protected, no country is protected.