“Africa CDC is concerned about the risk of further spread due to the urban context of Bunia and Rwampara, intense population movement, mining-related mobility in Mongwalu, insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact listing, infection prevention and control challenges, and the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan,” warns Africa CDC in its latest statement .

One case in Uganda on May 14 th validates these concerns: a 59-year-old Congolese man from DRC died of Ebola three days after being admitted in a Kampala hospital.

Cross-border mobility is a double risk: it spreads the disease fast, and it impedes trade and people’s livelihoods especially those living along borders.

What’s more worrying is how the epidemic compounds the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo, where insecurity has already displaced thousands. Ituri’s high levels of displacement, driven by armed insurgency in areas like Djugu, strain refugees and IDPs who are already under economic pressure. That same insecurity hinders healthcare workers from reaching the people who need them most.

For families already displaced by violence, this isn’t just a health alert, but a reminder that safe areas may not remain safe for long.

Previous outbreaks in DRC, notably between 2018 and 2020, claimed thousands of lives and strained the country’s resources. The country is home to over half a million refugees and nearly 6 million IDPs – people who urgently need support to navigate health emergencies.

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with an infected person, or someone who has died from the disease. Considering how highly infectious Ebola is, the mass movement of people fleeing to safer areas risks spreading the virus faster. Refugees and IDPs need clear, timely and accessible information about the disease and its symptoms.

Access to water and detergents among displaced populations in the region is shrinking by the day due to aid cuts. This alone will make observing the standard prevention procedures, like keeping hands and surfaces clean, nearly impossible.

Ebola has killed over 15,000 in Africa in the last fifty years, demonstrating the need for sustainable mechanisms to manage its emergence and transmission. Efforts towards an Ebola vaccine offer optimism, but the virus mutates, producing multiple variants that will require an integrated approach.

African countries can’t keep waiting for aid that isn’t coming. They must find alternative funding sources to fill the gaps. The international community holds a shared responsibility to support epidemic response because infectious diseases know no borders. Supporting such efforts, particularly in East Africa which has built coordinated response mechanisms over the years, protects the global community and limits the emergence of new and dangerous variants.

African governments should design policies that foster collaboration between private and public organisations to advance vaccine research. This will help curb the heavy reliance on foreign intervention, which is often marked with vested interests. COVID-19 proved it: global north countries prioritised their populations first, and by the time help arrived, many African lives had already been lost.

The article solely represents the views of Simpson Muhwezi, a Ugandan freelance writer and development practitioner.