The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has placed Ethiopia on a list of ten additional countries now considered at high risk for an Ebola virus disease outbreak, as a deadly strain continues to spread across Central and East Africa.
The warning comes as the region grapples with the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, which has already claimed nearly 180 suspected lives.
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Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya explained that the classification follows an emergency meeting with health ministers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and South Sudan. The other nine nations now urged to heighten their vigilance include Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.
“If countries do not increase their capacity to detect, they are really at risk,” Dr. Kaseya warned. He emphasized that the movement of people across borders—from the epicenter in eastern DRC into neighboring Uganda—has significantly raised the threat level.
For Ethiopia, a major aviation hub and populous nation, the risk is amplified by its extensive regional and international travel links.
Dr. Kaseya stressed that urgent measures must be taken for these nations, including the deployment of strong, decentralized diagnostic systems and improved surveillance. However, he acknowledged a deep-seated challenge: public mistrust. In eastern DRC, angry youth recently torched an Ebola treatment center after a patient’s death, reflecting frustration over the lack of vaccines and medicines despite nearly two decades of recurring outbreaks.
“People are saying clearly that for more than 19 years why don’t we have a vaccine or medicine? If this disease was in the US or Europe, the medicine would be available,” Dr. Kaseya stated. He called for African vaccine sovereignty and domestic financing, noting that DRC and Uganda have already committed USD 20 million and USD five million, respectively.
The Africa CDC has launched a unified USD 319 million response plan. While partners including the US and UK pledged support, the Director stressed the urgency. “We need this money today, not tomorrow.” He warned that without immediate action, the Bundibugyo strain—now the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally—could spiral further, posing a threat beyond Africa’s shore.
