Africa health chief warns Ebola outbreak of 'unprecedented' reach could spread to UK

One of Africa's most senior health officials has warned that the continent's Ebola outbreak has spread so widely that it could reach the United Kingdom and other countries. Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), described the geographic extent of the outbreak as "unprecedented".

The outbreak has now recorded 10,091 cases. Of those, 10,060 are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 4,887 people have died. Two deaths have been reported in Uganda and two in Kenya. Kaseya drew a comparison with Covid, which began in one country before spreading around the world, killing millions and damaging health systems and economies.

"We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they don't take appropriate measures," he said. He called on every continent, not only Africa, to raise its level of preparedness and its capacity to provide treatment. It is the first time three African regions have been affected by Ebola, he noted.

Kaseya urged leaders elsewhere not to assume they are immune. Early in the Covid pandemic, he recalled, many countries claimed there was no risk, yet within months some became hotspots. "We don't want to see the UK and other countries become the hotspot," he said.

The outbreak is the 17th in the DR Congo since Ebola was first identified, and it is the largest and deadliest in the country's history. It is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. On 15 May the health ministry declared an outbreak in Ituri province, although sequencing shows it began in February. The virus has since reached Kenya and Uganda in the east, and last week Nigeria confirmed a case in the capital, Abuja, in a woman who had travelled from Uganda. France remains the only non-African country with a confirmed case, a doctor who returned from the DR Congo in June.

Ebola is highly contagious and often fatal, spreading through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people, such as blood or vomit, or through contact with the bodies of the dead, including during funeral preparations. There is no approved treatment for the Bundibugyo virus. Vaccine trials are under way, with results expected in three to six months, according to Kaseya.

The response has been hampered by a shortage of protective equipment and unpaid health worker wages, which have led to strikes. Conflict in the DR Congo, mistrust of officials in affected areas, misinformation and global aid cuts have added to the difficulty.

Kaseya will convene African health ministers on Wednesday to press for stronger cross-border cooperation, including screening and testing of travellers from affected regions at entry and exit points. "They have to understand they could be affected, and we don't want them to be surprised by what could happen," he said. In November he will ask African heads of state to establish a "corridor of peace" in conflict zones, noting that colleagues in Ituri cannot reach people in need because of insecurity. "This outbreak is not for rebels, it's not for the official army, it's for everyone," he said.

On funding, Kaseya said governments have pledged $3bn (£2.3bn), but more than $2bn is still outstanding. African countries have committed $120m, with the remainder expected from international donors including the US, the UK and the EU. "We need this money now," he said, warning that delays would raise the eventual cost if the outbreak keeps spreading, potentially to trillions of dollars if more countries are affected.