Ebola Outbreak Still Not Under Control Across Africa – Africa CDC
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak across parts of the continent is not yet under control.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.
Kaseya said the assessment followed a virtual meeting of African health ministers held on October 28 to review the spread of the disease and coordinate efforts to contain it.
He explained that more than 42 ministers and over 600 participants, including representatives of international organisations and development partners, attended the meeting.
According to him, an analysis of the latest epidemiological data showed that the outbreak continued to pose a major public health challenge.
“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 over 5,000 deaths across affected countries.
He also noted that the geographical spread of the disease was changing, with the epicentre shifting.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has affected several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Nigeria.
The DRC remains the worst-affected country, accounting for the majority of reported infections and deaths.
Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases, including two deaths, while Nigeria confirmed its first case in more than a decade on October 20, 2026.
The Nigerian case involved a 42-year-old Swiss woman who tested positive for the virus after travelling from Uganda to Nigeria.
She was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers before being medically evacuated to Switzerland on October 26 for further treatment.
Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said 62 contacts linked to the confirmed case had been identified and placed under monitoring as of October 29.
The agency added that no new contacts or symptomatic contacts had been identified in the preceding 24 hours.
Although the confirmed patient has been evacuated, the World Health Organisation has said Nigeria must complete the required 42-day monitoring period before it can be officially declared free of the outbreak.
