Ten African countries step up border controls due to Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo

Regional Response to Ebola Outbreak

Ten countries in East, Central and Southern Africa have stepped up health controls at their borders in response to the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The measures, reported by Tanzania's The Citizen and attributed to the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), form part of a six-month emergency response programme covering 33 priority border crossings and 16 major trade and transit corridors.

The programme is being implemented in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Angola, Malawi and Mozambique, which are considered high-risk countries for the spread of the virus from the DRC, according to the report.

Programme Details

ECSA-HC has rolled out the initiative with support from the World Bank through the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Programme (HEPRRP). The aim is to strengthen the capacity of frontline border health teams to detect, isolate and report suspected Ebola cases before they spread into wider communities.

According to the reports, the programme includes assessing border service readiness, conducting drills and simulation exercises, and developing response and contingency plans. Standardized procedures are being established for screening border crossers and referring suspected cases to medical facilities. Particular attention will be paid to digital epidemiological surveillance and movement tracking.

Border crossings are also required to strengthen infection control measures, sanitation and laboratory preparedness for virus detection. Infection prevention measures include safe triage, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment and decontamination. Laboratory preparedness includes safe sample collection, packaging and transportation to reference laboratories.

Official Statements

ECSA-HC Director General Dr Ntuli Kapologwe emphasized the need for a coordinated regional approach. "Pathogens do not respect national boundaries. As this outbreak expands, our defence systems must be as fluid and interconnected as the populations we serve," he said.

Dr Kapologwe said the programme would provide frontline teams with a standardised package to support early detection, safe isolation and rapid notification of suspected cases.

Dr Mohamed Mohamed, Senior Medical Epidemiologist at ECSA-HC and HEPRRP Coordinator, highlighted the elevated risk along connected corridors. "Cross-border Ebola risk is highest where people, goods and services move rapidly across connected corridors," he said.

The intervention comes amid concerns over increased population movement across borders, particularly through busy land crossings, river ports and airports. ECSA-HC noted that the rapid movement of people, goods and services along established corridors increases the risk of imported cases, especially through informal border crossings and poorly monitored trade routes.

Surveillance and Coordination

The programme will enhance event-based surveillance by training frontline workers and community informants to identify and report early warning signs around border communities and transit hubs. Electronic border screening will be linked to district Rapid Response Teams to facilitate follow-up and monitoring, including 21-day tracking where necessary.

According to one report, ECSA-HC previously rolled out a digital system at border crossings that allows for the real-time collection of personal data and transmission of alerts about potential threats to national disease surveillance services.

The initiative also aims to harmonise standard operating procedures among port health authorities, immigration officials, customs officers and transport operators.

Outbreak Situation

The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is the largest in the country's history, according to the report citing The Citizen. As of August 19, there were more than 5,000 confirmed cases and over 2,500 deaths. Initially detected in Ituri Province, the epidemic has spread to five other regions of the country.

Another report, citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, puts the number of confirmed cases at 4,945 and deaths at 2,325 across 55 health zones in six provinces, representing a case fatality rate of 47 per cent.

The differing figures reflect the rapidly evolving nature of the outbreak, with the later date in one report accounting for additional cases and deaths.