Ebola epidemic: Ten African countries at risk • FRANCE 24 English

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Let's unpack this now with Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa CDC. He joins us now from Uganda. Jean Kaseya, thank you so much. Just firstly, your organization has now placed 10 additional countries at risk. This is in addition to the DRC Congo and Uganda, which have already seen cases. When a country is placed at risk, exactly what are you expecting them to do?

[00:00:23]We are except Thank you for having me.

[00:00:26]You know, this uh classification came after my meeting with the ministers of DRC, the ministers of Uganda and South Sudan today in Kampala.

[00:00:39]And a number of partners wanted to assess the risk for other countries to be infected. And to respond to your question, we need to see this country increasing the level of preparedness.

[00:00:54]We need to see these countries putting in place strong and decentralized uh diagnostics mechanism.

[00:01:04]Because we don't want to see any country being infected by either Uganda or DRC.

[00:01:13]It's mostly to make sure that the surveillance system will be improved in these countries.

[00:01:19]But these countries, let's just go through them quickly. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. What makes these countries so much at risk right now? If we just see the map and I mean, are we at a stage already where this particular strain, the Bundibugyo, might have already crossed into those countries? We saw it with Uganda. How much risk are these countries at right now?

[00:01:46]You know, uh we we we saw that this outbreak started in Ituri.

[00:01:53]Now it moved to Uganda and to other regions of the DRC uh South Kivu and North Kivu.

[00:02:00]And that is putting clearly countries neighboring uh DRC at risk because people are circulating in DRC and people are also circulating around neighboring countries.

[00:02:15]But more importantly if countries they don't increase their capacity to detect, they are really at risk. We are meeting South Sudan today because of South Sudan is closer to Ituri and uh Uganda. And the minister was telling us he needs support to increase the capacity to detect and to test and to isolate people. I think this is the main message we are giving to countries. If you are around DRC, if you are around Uganda, if you have regular contact with these countries, please make sure that you increase your capacity to detect. But uh how likely is that to happen? I mean, given the situation on the ground, it's not easy for these countries to actually increase their capacity, especially when you look at what's going on with these Ebola treatment centers right now being torched by local residents. How do you actually communicate that to people to say, "Hang on, you have to back the authorities here?"

[00:03:13]You know, this is uh people are just uh showing us the mistrust that uh they are they are having vis-à-vis either authorities or health workers.

[00:03:26]But this mistrust we are talking about, it's also vis-à-vis Africans vis-à-vis Western countries.

[00:03:33]Because people they don't understand for more than 19 years that we know this uh disease, why we don't have vaccine, why we don't have medicine. And this is something population is saying clearly to us.

[00:03:48]And this mistrust is also to say, "Are we sure that with all announcement that donors are doing, are we sure that we didn't receive funding to support operations on the ground? And you know, when like the case we saw 2 days ago, when population they went young people they went to to burn this health facility in in in in in Ituri, it's because a young person passed on and they they are asking why this young person get all medicines, all vaccines the world is manufacturing and why a young person can pass on and we need to give you need you to give us back the body. You know, this is the mistrust, but what we are doing, we are telling them we are honest with them. We say, "Yes, Africa was badly treated by Western countries because if this disease was in the in the US or in Europe, the medicine and the vaccine would be available." But now, Africa says this is their working countries to deal with this issue. By the end of this year, we'll make sure to have vaccine, but for now they have just to implement the public health measures.

[00:05:02]People are listening. Of course, the flip side of that is that you know, these Western countries that you're alluding to, well they need to probably help if what you're saying they need to help so to make sure that it doesn't come to Europe. So in effect, this is in their best interest as far as I can understand. And you've been a big advocate for African vaccine sovereignty to to help stem the spread. How likely is that Ebola strain, this particular one, how likely is it that it will come to Europe and to the United States for instance and and what kind of measures are in place to make sure that that doesn't happen?

[00:05:40]You know, I was in Geneva when we decided to declare on the 15th of May Ebola a the outbreak in Africa.

[00:05:54]And the next day I had meetings all ministers of health. I informed them that I I'm stopping all engagement in Geneva going back in Africa because this is where the continent needs me. They don't need me in Geneva. They need me back to lead the response.

[00:06:14]But you know when I'm talking about sovereignty the next day before flying back I wanted to meet President Mama and [clears throat] a number of other people because President Mama is now a strong voice for the sovereignty agenda. What it means sovereignty? It's not just about manufacturing health product. It's also providing domestic resources. Look for this case.

[00:06:37]We saw and I I was clear with African [clears throat] countries. I will not go to partners if you don't tell me how much you are providing yourself because the life of your people is your responsibility.

[00:06:49]DRC started to provide 20 million.

[00:06:52]Uganda they provided 5 million and before going to others today I had a meeting with a number of African voices Aliko Dangote Oramah Simon Tintore and so many others to see how African son and sister brother and sisters can contribute to this outbreak before going to partners.

[00:07:16]I think this This is what we call sovereignty. How Africa can start to take care of Africa before seeing others coming. And you're asking for I can see 319 million dollars to help in the response efforts. How that money be used? How many how much has already arrived from sponsors? And how can you ensure that it goes to the right channels?

[00:07:38]Yes.

[00:07:40]I called for this meeting attended by as I said the three countries and also a number of partners it was almost 300 people who attended this meeting.

[00:07:52]So many partners wanted to bring together one plan. It's time for Africa now to start to speak with one voice to be led by one plan one budget. And we managed to merge the plan from DRC from Uganda from South South Sudan but all 10 at risk countries. This is a 319 million dollars we are looking for.

[00:08:19]As I said the men the first source of funding is African countries. We already got around 13 million from African member state in addition to some voluntary contribution because South Africa gave us 2.5 million to support the response. I know other African countries they will start to contribute also to Africa CDC to to support the response. The second layer is as I have said African voices. I'm expecting to have I don't want to give an amount of money but a substantial amount of money from African voices then partners. Let me tell you that partners we are getting positive message from the US. Jeremy Levin who's leading humanitarian assistance called me to say we are providing funding. UK President Macron even he sent me a message to say will be supporting. You know, I'm not afraid that will have funding but the most important is we need this money now to make impact on the ground not tomorrow but today. We need this money. Dr. Kasai, this isn't the first Ebola outbreak. I obviously we're dealing with the Bundibugyo strain which doesn't have a vaccine and some people are now reacting with a bit of panic.

[00:09:35]I I want to take it back to the ground.

[00:09:37]Do you think the CDC could have been better prepared given that there is the knowledge of these strains without the vaccine?

[00:09:46]You know, I I I'm clear on that.

[00:09:50]It's unfair the treatment that Africans are getting from Western countries.

[00:09:57]We are all human beings.

[00:10:00]We are all living the same planet.

[00:10:02]And now people are watching what's happening in Africa. But without vaccine, without medicine, if we don't have funding for public health measures, all of us in Europe, in US, we are at risk. Because this Ebola doesn't have borders.

[00:10:19]And we are saying Africa CDC, yes, this is it's not the first Ebola outbreak.

[00:10:26]Yes, we didn't see Budibugyo, this strain Budibugyo, killing like that. You know, I was showing today to all ministers that this is the second largest outbreak, Ebola outbreak, in the in the world. The second one in terms of cases and deaths.

[00:10:47]We don't know where we are going with this outbreak. We are still in on the peak of this outbreak. And we are conducting strong surveillance. Yes, Africa CDC is doing the job with WHO and other colleagues. But without tools, it's also a But we are not on panic mode. We are saying it's serious.

[00:11:09]We are addressing that, but we want people to know that if we don't do the right thing now, it will be something that maybe can lead for another headache for all of us.

[00:11:22]Uh Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, thank you so so much for joining us here on France 24. All the best of luck for all the efforts there to control this outbreak, there the Budibugyo strain of Ebola with up to 177 suspected deaths as we speak with new cases in Uganda as well as of today.