The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has invited health ministers to coordinate efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak that has been confirmed in DR Congo, Kenya and Nigeria.
The meeting scheduled for October 28 the comes five months after the agency declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on May 18.
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This comes after the virus has been confirmed in Central, East and West Africa. Nigeria confirmed a positive Ebola case in the capital Abuja on Tuesday. Kenya has confirmed nine cases. DR Congo has confirmed more than 9,500 confirmed cases and over 4,600 deaths since May.
Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya said meeting would assess the evolving situation, strengthen cross-border coordination, accelerate support to affected countries and reinforce preparedness across the continent.
"Ebola is crossing borders. Our response must move faster, with stronger coordination, greater solidarity and decisive political leadership,” Kaseya said on Wednesday.
"We have the expertise and the capacity on this continent. We must mobilise them together to stop this outbreak and save lives,” he added.
The meeting is also expected to inform preparations for a summit of African heads of state and government.
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Recent updates have seen Nigeria confirm its first Ebola case in the current regional outbreak on October 20, after laboratory tests detected the Bundibugyo virus in a woman who had arrived from Uganda, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Health.
The patient is being treated in isolation at a private hospital in Abuja, while 44 close contacts are under monitoring. Nigerian authorities have stepped up surveillance and are working with Africa CDC and other partners to contain the case.
Kenya has confirmed nine cases linked to a single cluster, including one death, while Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths before being declared Ebola-free in August, following the discharge of its last patient in mid-July.
DR Congo remains at the centre of the outbreak.
The spread of the virus across three African regions has raised concerns about further cross-border transmission and the need for coordinated surveillance and preparedness.
Africa CDC has urged member states to strengthen disease surveillance, cross-border cooperation and community engagement, while ensuring the protection of frontline health workers.
Kaseya said the continent needed to mobilise its expertise and institutions to accelerate the response and stop further transmission.
The Bundibugyo virus belongs to the group of viruses that cause Ebola virus disease, a severe illness that can be fatal. Early detection, isolation of suspected cases and effective infection prevention measures are important in limiting transmission.
Africa CDC said renewed political commitment and continental solidarity would be critical to ending the outbreak.