African and global health authorities are intensifying warnings over the growing Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa, cautioning that the crisis could spread further if containment efforts fail.
The World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, warned against underestimating the outbreak, saying the situation remains highly dangerous due to cross border movement, weak healthcare systems and insecurity in affected areas.
The outbreak is currently centered in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and parts of Uganda, where health authorities have recorded dozens of deaths and hundreds of suspected cases.
Officials say the virus involved is the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is especially concerning because there are currently no fully approved vaccines specifically designed for that version of the disease.
Health authorities fear regional spread because affected areas are located near major trade and migration routes connecting Congo with Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda. The movement of traders, refugees and informal border crossings has complicated efforts to track potential infections.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has also raised alarm over the pace of transmission and the possibility that the outbreak could overwhelm already fragile health systems in parts of the region.
Public health teams are now expanding surveillance, contact tracing and emergency screening measures at border points and transport hubs. International health agencies are also mobilizing medical supplies, laboratory equipment and emergency response personnel.
The WHO recently declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after confirmed cases began appearing beyond the initial outbreak zones.
Health experts say conflict and instability in eastern Congo are making the response far more difficult. Armed violence, displacement and poor infrastructure have limited access to some communities and slowed medical intervention efforts.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials and can cause severe fever, weakness, vomiting and internal bleeding. Fatality rates vary depending on the strain and the speed of treatment.
African health officials are urging governments not to delay emergency preparedness measures, warning that early action will be critical to preventing wider regional transmission.
The outbreak has also renewed broader concerns about Africa’s vulnerability to infectious disease emergencies amid underfunded healthcare systems, growing population movement and limited vaccine manufacturing capacity across the continent.
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Emmanuel Abara Benson is a business journalist and editor covering artificial intelligence, global markets, and emerging technology.
He has previously worked with Business Insider Africa and Nairametrics, reporting on finance, startups, and innovation.
His work focuses on AI, digital economy, and global tech trends.
Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco)
Most Famous Photo: Images from his “Kesh Angels” series, featuring women in vibrant traditional and contemporary Moroccan attire on motorbikes.
Short Bio: Born in 1961, Hassan Hajjaj is a Moroccan-British artist known for his vibrant and playful photographs that fuse pop art aesthetics with traditional Moroccan culture. His work often features bold colors, custom-made frames, and a celebration of contemporary North African identity, subverting stereotypes and creating a unique visual language.
Lincoln Rider
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”
Whip 2T
Some lions just escaped a nature reserve in South Africa
They were rejected from their group.
They could maybe ask to be let in the group again
But their pride wouldn\’t let them.