ECDC activates the EU Health Task Force, deploying experts to support Ebola outbreak response

ECDC Director Dr Pamela Rendi-Wagner met with Dr Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss the current situation and ongoing efforts. They agreed on the details of collaboration, and ECDC will promptly deploy its experts to the region. 

As a first step, ECDC will immediately deploy an expert from the EU Health Task Force to Africa CDC’s headquarters to support coordination and operational planning. In parallel, ECDC is in discussions with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network regarding the possible deployment of additional experts as the situation evolves, for example, in infection prevention, epidemiology, surveillance, and risk communication, to support response activities in DRC and Uganda.

As of 16 May 2026, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths have been reported in at least three health zones in Ituri Province in the DRC. Two additional cases with a history of travel from the DRC have also been reported in Uganda. 

Significant uncertainties remain regarding the scale of transmission, and the outbreak may be larger than currently detected. Response efforts are further challenged by insecurity and humanitarian challenges in the affected areas, as well as by the fact that the outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which no licensed vaccines or specific treatments are currently available.