Congo and South Sudan join forces at the border against Ebola
In Aba, 18km from South Sudan, health officials agreed weekly data sharing, joint investigations and common messages, with help from refugee leaders.
Aba — Aba, in the DRC's Haut-Uélé province, has not recorded a single Ebola case. But it sits about 18km from South Sudan and is home to more than 26,000 South Sudanese refugees, so health officials on both sides of the border are acting before the virus arrives, the WHO's Africa office reports.
What they agreed
Health authorities from the DRC and South Sudan met in Aba and agreed a roadmap:
- Share surveillance and communication information every week.
- Run joint investigations and contact tracing in Aba and South Sudan's Yei area.
- Use the same awareness messages for communities on both sides.
On the ground
- Travellers are screened at entry points with handwashing, temperature checks and questions; 5 of 11 planned control points are working.
- A temporary isolation space holds suspected cases until a rapid response team arrives.
- At the Méri camp, refugee leader Cosmas Sandani Lasuba teaches neighbours about handwashing and distancing.
Officials named in the report include Dr Simon Sebit Yatoma, medical director of Yei River County, and Dr Patrick Banza Piongo, head of the Haut-Uélé provincial health division.
What is still needed
Aba is short of protective equipment, isolation space and an ambulance; the health ministry is assessing the gaps with partners. Haut-Uélé had 408 confirmed cases and 176 deaths in 7 of its 13 health zones as of 17 October. WHO is helping South Sudan and other neighbours with surveillance, contact-tracing training, laboratories and treatment centres.
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa, 22 October 2026.
