African officials agree to keep borders open despite Ebola outbreak

African health ministers agreed to keep their countries’ borders open despite the fast-expanding Ebola outbreak in the region, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday.

The announcement came after a high-level virtual meeting convened by the Africa CDC to assess the Ebola situation and discuss ways to strengthen cross-border coordination.

More than 40 African ministers attended the emergency meeting, convened amid the rapid geographic spread of the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain.

Four countries have been affected so far by the current outbreak, including Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.

The meeting resolved to get every country ready and work hand-in-hand across borders to avert further spread of the virus, which has claimed nearly 5,000 lives since May, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The number of confirmed cases has surpassed 10,170, with a case fatality rate of 48.5% according to Africa CDC.

“I stood before more than 40 African Ministers and said what the data tells us: we are not winning so far,” said Kaseya. “Together, we agreed to prepare every country, coordinate across our borders and keep those borders open while watching them closely. Our partners are standing behind Africa’s plan.”

Kaseya told the ministers that the outbreak has grown during the past five months from a national crisis into a continental health security test.

He said while the main priority is to stop Ebola on the continent, insecurity, complex humanitarian situations and limited funding remain the challenges.

Uganda’s Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said his country's experience shows that countries can interrupt transmission when they act early and decisively.

Uganda was declared free of Ebola in August by the World Health Organization.

The country reported 20 confirmed cases after the outbreak was declared in May.

The Africa CDC has warned that 10 other African nations are “at risk” of being affected by the virus, following an outbreak in Congo, including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Zambia.