Africa CDC, WHO, Uganda Launch Joint IMST At Makerere University To Strengthen Ebola Response

Africa CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ugandan government officially launched the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) at Makerere University in Kampala to strengthen Africa’s emergency health response capabilities amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

“Africa CDC, WHO launch unified platform to support Africa's Ebola response The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ugandan government have officially launched the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) to support continental health emergency capabilities amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak”

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The IMST was launched on Saturday at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, and the platform is described as a unified operational mechanism to improve Africa’s ability to prepare for, coordinate and respond to public health emergencies while supporting the ongoing response to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebolavirus disease.

@globaltimesnews

The NewVision.co.ug report says the Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) was officially launched on June 27, 2026, at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University, and it was established by Africa CDC in close collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO).

NewVision.co.ug adds that the IMST will operate under the principles of "One Plan, One Team, One Budget and One Monitoring and Evaluation Framework" to ensure partners work through a unified coordination structure.

The NewVision.co.ug launch was officiated by Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Uganda’s newly appointed Minister of Health, who said, “Uganda is proud to host this important continental platform.”

As the IMST platform took shape in Kampala, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the World Health Organization’s annual meeting of member states that he is “deeply concerned about the scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The الشرق الأوسط report says Tedros added, “We will convene, today, an Emergency Committee meeting to provide us with guidance on the provisional recommendations,” while WHO representative Dr. Ancia Ansia warned that the outbreak may be spreading faster than initially thought.

DW

In the same report, Dr. Ancia Ansia said Ituri Province is “an extremely unsafe area with dense population movements,” and she warned that investigations showed infections extending to other areas and across borders.

The الشرق الأوسط report also quotes the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, announcing on state television that it is likely the Ebola virus has caused the deaths of 131 people among 513 suspected cases.

DW’s account of the outbreak adds that the WHO declared on Sunday, May 17, 2026, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and it says the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain.

The IMST is positioned as a central tool for strategic leadership and decision-making, with NewVision.co.ug describing it as a platform for operational planning, resource coordination, information management, partner engagement and oversight of outbreak response interventions.

“The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ugandan government have officially launched the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) to strengthen Africa's emergency health response capabilities amid the ongoing Ebola outbreak,News”

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NewVision.co.ug says the operationalisation of the regional logistics hub in Entebbe will provide a mechanism for staging, securing and rapidly deploying essential medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and technical expertise to affected areas and other member states at risk.

DW reports that the WHO urged restricting travel of infected people and their contacts outside the DRC and Uganda, while Germany warned against travel to the affected areas, particularly Ituri Province.

DW also states that there is no vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and it quotes the DRC Minister of Health, Samuel Roger Kamba, saying there is no vaccine or specific treatment for this strain.

In the same DW account, Africa CDC’s Jean Kasia is quoted as saying he has requested technical guidance on the possibility of classifying the outbreak as a continent-wide health threat, reflecting how the response is being framed beyond country borders.