Health CS Aden Duale has called for stronger continental collaboration to contain the escalating Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak affecting parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Duale represented President William Ruto at the African Union High-Level Virtual Summit convened by the African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The meeting brought together Heads of State, government leaders and global health partners to coordinate a unified response to the outbreak.
During the summit, Kenya expressed solidarity with the affected countries and reaffirmed support for frontline health workers battling the disease.
CS Duale called for increased political commitment and financing to strengthen outbreak preparedness and response efforts across the continent.
The Health CS emphasized the need for enhanced cross-border surveillance, improved coordination among neighbouring countries and accelerated implementation of the Africa CDC-led Continental Preparedness and Response Plan.
Kenya Strengthens Preparedness Measures
Duale highlighted Kenya’s heightened state of preparedness amid the regional health threat.
The country has intensified surveillance at points of entry, strengthened laboratory capacity and enhanced response mechanisms to detect and contain potential cases. Kenya has also expressed readiness to deploy public health experts to support affected countries if required.
According to the Health CS, the outbreak underscores the importance of strengthening Africa’s health security systems and reducing reliance on external sources for critical medical supplies.
He noted that investing in local manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other essential health commodities would significantly improve the continent’s ability to respond to future health emergencies.
Egypt Visit Highlights Diagnostic Success Stories
Separately, Duale visited the REME-D Diagnostics booth during the 5th Health Exhibition Conference (ExCon) 2026 in Egypt, where he held discussions on the role of diagnostics in disease prevention, early detection and health system strengthening.
Hosted by Salma Tammam, the engagement provided insights into Egypt’s successful hepatitis elimination programme, which relied on large-scale screening, rapid diagnosis and timely treatment to achieve significant public health outcomes.
The discussions reinforced the importance of investing in robust diagnostic systems as a foundation for effective healthcare delivery and disease control.
As Kenya works to reduce the burden of viral hepatitis and expand access to quality healthcare, Duale said the government remains committed to strengthening diagnostic capacity and scaling up screening programmes nationwide.
He added that Kenya will continue learning from global best practices through strategic partnerships aimed at improving health outcomes and building resilient health systems.
