Kampala — Health ministers, emergency experts and partners from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan gathered in Kampala this week to strengthen cross-border coordination as efforts are scaled up to respond to the outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, the two-day meeting brought together stakeholders to strengthen regional preparedness and operational coordination, including disease surveillance, laboratory systems, contact tracing, infection prevention and control and community engagement.

Dr Marie-Roseline Belizaire, Regional Emergency Director at WHO African Region, urged countries and partners to maintain strong collaboration and rapid information sharing to support faster detection and response.

“Preparedness saves time, and in outbreaks, time saves lives,” said Dr Belizaire. “We must strengthen surveillance systems, empower frontline teams and ensure rapid information sharing across borders to support faster detection and response.”

She pointed out that WHO teams already deployed in Bunia, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are ramping up efforts and dispatching emergency supplies prepositioned in the country, enabling rapid response efforts during the critical early stages of the outbreak. Additional emergency supplies have also been deployed from WHO logistics hubs in Dakar and Nairobi to reinforce operations in affected areas and neighbouring countries.

“Diseases transcend borders. Cross-border collaboration is therefore not optional, it is a fundamental pillar of effective outbreak control,” said Dr Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Representative in Uganda.

The meeting builds on commitments made earlier this month during the Consultative Meeting of Permanent Secretaries on Cross-Border Collaboration for Health Security in Africa held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, which focused on strengthening operational coordination and collaboration mechanisms between countries facing shared public health threats.

Participants discussed measures to strengthen joint surveillance, accelerate information sharing and reinforce preparedness capacities across border areas. Countries are also exploring mechanisms to sustain coordination beyond the current outbreak and strengthen readiness for future public health emergencies.

Dr Belizaire commended frontline responders, health workers, disease surveillance teams and communities working under difficult conditions to contain the outbreak.

“Health security is a shared responsibility. No country can face these threats alone,” she said. “The actions we take together today will help protect millions of people across our continent tomorrow.”

WHO representative of DRC, South Sudan and Uganda were in attendance.