Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a cross-border Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly combat the current Ebola Bundibugyo strain outbreak, which has so far sickened 20 people in Uganda.
Out of the 20 confirmed cases registered in Uganda as of June 27, 15 are classified as imported cases from the neighbouring DRC.
The cross-border pact coincided with the official launch of the Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University in Kampala on Saturday. The IMST is a joint initiative by African governments, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) designed to streamline emergency health interventions.
Speaking at the launch, Uganda’s Minister for Health, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, emphasized that African nations must spearhead coordinated responses to health crises to prevent localized outbreaks from turning into continental catastrophes.
“The Ebola outbreak reminds us that no country is safe until every country is prepared. It also reminds us that solidarity is not simply a principle-it is an operational necessity,” Dr Baryomunsi said. “Our preparedness and our response must, therefore, extend beyond borders. The Continental IMST embodies this spirit of solidarity.”
Under the new cross-border agreement, joint laboratory services and Ebola Treatment Centres (ETCs) are being established in Aru and Kasenyi. Health professionals from both Uganda and the DRC will work side-by-side at these facilities to detect cases early and halt transmission at the source.
“As we often say, we cannot keep mopping the floor while the roof is still leaking,” Dr. Baryomunsi noted. “As long as transmission continues on one side of the border, all neighbouring countries remain at risk.”
The IMST framework brings together 11 epidemic-prone African nations-including high-risk neighbours like Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, and the Central African Republic-to participate in cross-border preparedness, even if they have not yet registered active cases.
Dr Belizaire Marie Roseline, the Regional Emergency Director for WHO Africa, described the unified coordination model as a “game-changer” for continental health security.
‘This means we will avoid duplication in activities. We will put together our resources-which is a great mutualization of resources-and create synergy so that we become stronger together,’ Dr. Roseline said, adding that WHO’s role will ensure all field decisions remain strictly science- and evidence-based.
While the IMST experts have been coordinating virtually since the onset of the outbreak, the entire team has now physically relocated to the command center in Kampala to be closer to the epicentre.
According to Dr. Tolbert Geewleh Nyenswah, the Director of Africa CDC, the team consists of specialists specializing in case management, infection prevention, logistics, and intensive 21-day contact tracing.
The multinational communication hub will be permanently housed at Makerere University. Dr. Andrew Kambugu, the Executive Director of the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), revealed that the institute has provided a state-of-the-art boardroom to facilitate real-time, multinational communications between field teams, regional governments, and international partners in Geneva.
“Hosting the centre at Makerere University will continue the journey of how academia can actively engage and address pressing societal challenges,” Dr. Kambugu said.