Africa CDC Says Ebola Outbreak Is Not Under Control as Kenya Nears Its Own All-Clear

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on 30 October 2026 that the Ebola outbreak spreading across parts of Africa remains uncontrolled, with more than 10,200 confirmed cases and over 5,000 deaths recorded across the continent. He spoke during an interview on Channels Television's Morning Brief, following a virtual ministerial meeting on 28 October that brought together more than 42 ministers and over 600 participants.

Kaseya said the Democratic Republic of the Congo had recorded more than 10,000 confirmed infections. The World Health Organization reported that as of 20 October, cumulative confirmed cases in the DRC had reached 9,704, including 4,687 deaths and 2,595 recoveries, with an overall crude case fatality rate of 48.3%.

Cases have been reported in five countries since the outbreak was declared on 15 May 2026: the DRC, Uganda, France, Kenya and Nigeria. The WHO lists Kenya and Nigeria among the more recent additions.

Kenya's picture is narrower. The country has confirmed nine Ebola cases and two deaths. The first 20 contacts of the first patient have been released, while 98 people remain in quarantine. The government expects the outbreak to be declared over in less than two months if containment holds. That declaration has not been made.

The contrast is the story. A continental outbreak that the Africa CDC says is not under control, with a crude fatality rate near 48% in the DRC and cross-border spread to five countries, is a regional and global public health risk. Kenya's pending all-clear shows how uneven the picture is, and how quickly optimism in one country can be overtaken by transmission elsewhere.

The difference between Kenya's countdown and the continent's escalation is not a reason to relax.