The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Jean Kaseya, has warned that Africa is not yet winning the fight against the ongoing Ebola outbreak, as confirmed cases have surpassed 10,000 and deaths approach 5,000.

Mr Kaseya made the remarks on Wednesday at an extraordinary meeting of African health ministers convened to discuss the outbreak and strengthen a coordinated continental response.

“I have worked on Ebola outbreaks for more than 30 years. I have never stopped feeling the weight of each life lost,” Mr Kaseya said.

“Yesterday I stood before more than 40 African Ministers and said what the data tells us: we are not winning so far. 10,172 confirmed cases. 4,932 people are gone.”

He said the ministers agreed to prepare every country for possible Ebola cases, coordinate responses across borders and keep borders open while strengthening surveillance.

“Ebola anywhere in Africa demands preparedness everywhere in Africa. We will get there, together,” he said.

Ebola outbreak

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus, and was first declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May 2026.

According to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the outbreak has recorded 10,172 confirmed cases and 4,932 deaths across five countries: DRC, Uganda, France, Kenya and Nigeria.

The DRC accounts for the majority of the cases, with 10,141 confirmed cases and 4,928 deaths as of 26 October. It has affected eight provinces.

Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, alongside one probable case and one probable death.

France and Nigeria recorded one imported case each, with no deaths.

The first Nigerian case was confirmed on 20 October after a traveller with a history of travel to Uganda tested positive for the virus. The patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland, while contacts continue to be monitored.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), 54 contacts linked to the Nigerian case had been traced and were under follow-up as of 26 October.

Africa’s response

Mr Kaseya said the scale of the outbreak requires countries across the continent to strengthen preparedness even where no active cases have been detected.

He said the meeting brought together more than 40 African health ministers and that countries agreed to work together on surveillance, preparedness and cross-border coordination.

He also highlighted the economic and social consequences of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, saying about five million children were kept out of school, about 23,000 children lost their parents and nearly $3 billion in gross domestic product was lost.

“We already know what an uncontrolled Ebola outbreak costs,” he said. “The data is hard to hear, but it is also our best chance to change course.”

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WHO has advised against restrictions on travel to or trade with affected countries, while emphasising continued surveillance and preparedness because of the risk of cross-border transmission.

Nigeria’s case has also raised questions about how the virus is moving across the region. Genomic sequencing showed that the virus detected in Nigeria is closely related to the strain identified in Kenya, with the two samples differing by a single mutation, according to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate.

However, Mr Pate said the finding does not establish a direct epidemiological link between Nigeria’s case and Kenya’s first confirmed case. Further investigation is needed to determine how the virus reached Nigeria.

Nigeria’s health insurance enrolment increased to 23.06 million people in the second quarter of 2026, up from 16.2 million in late 2023, the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Kelechi Ohiri, has said.

Mr Ohiri disclosed this on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at the 11th Future of Health Conference organised by Nigeria Health Watch in Abuja.

He said enrolment across federal, state and private health insurance schemes grew by 42.35 per cent over the period.

However, Mr Ohiri said increasing enrolment alone would not guarantee access to healthcare or protect Nigerians from financial hardship.

“We constantly face the reality of a difference between an insurance coverage record and genuine financial risk protection,” he said.

“An insurance card in a citizen’s pocket is meaningless if it does not grant immediate access to a functional facility, guarantee essential medicines, protect against catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses, and deliver dignity during medical emergencies.”

Improving access and accountability

Mr Ohiri said the NHIA had introduced measures to help enrollees understand their benefits, access support and hold healthcare providers accountable.

These include the MyNHIA mobile application and an online self-enrolment portal. He said the authority also distributed enrollee charters and benefit package details through interactive QR codes at accredited health facilities nationwide.

According to him, the codes enable enrollees to check the consultations, diagnostic services and medicines covered by their insurance packages.

Mr Ohiri said the NHIA also strengthened its complaints management system to address grievances involving enrollees, healthcare facilities and health maintenance organisations (HMOs).

Mr Ohiri said the NHIA received and tracked 2,209 complaints through social media, telephone calls, walk-in desks, call centres and letters.

He said 82 per cent of the complaints were resolved within 48 hours, adding that the authority secured direct refunds for enrollees who had been improperly charged by healthcare facilities.

The NHIA also issued formal warnings to facilities and delisted providers for persistent non-compliance, he said.

“That is how regulation converts coverage into genuine financial protection,” Mr Ohiri said.

Targeting vulnerable populations

The NHIA boss said the authority was expanding insurance access for vulnerable Nigerians through targeted programmes supported by public subsidies, grants and public-private partnerships.

He said under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Gateway, enrolment increased from 2.6 million people in the second quarter of 2026 to 3.2 million in the third quarter, representing a 20.5 per cent increase.

He added that all the enrollees under the gateway had been biometrically verified using their National Identification Numbers (NINs).

Mr Ohiri also highlighted a programme established in partnership with the Global Fund to provide health insurance coverage for key population groups living with or affected by major infectious diseases in Gombe, Anambra, Ebonyi and Kwara states.

He said enrolment under the programme increased from 25,815 beneficiaries in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 58,447 in the third quarter of 2026.

He said women accounted for 68 per cent of the enrollees, while all beneficiaries had been biometrically verified using their NINs.

Future of Health is Now

The conference, themed “From Innovation to Impact: The Future of Health is Now”, brought together stakeholders to discuss how innovations, investments, research and policies can translate into measurable improvements in healthcare delivery.

Mr Ohiri said health innovations must solve practical problems, generate evidence, remain financially sustainable and become integrated into existing systems to achieve impact at scale.

He said the NHIA’s reforms were intended to build a health financing system that protects Nigerians from financial hardship while improving access to healthcare.

“The future of health is not a distant vision,” he said.

“Through strategic purchasing, rigorous evidence, and commitment to equity, the future of health is happening right now.”

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In her remarks, the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, said Nigeria must look beyond the development of health innovations to the financing, policies, procurement processes and data systems needed to sustain them and expand their reach.

Mrs Ihekweazu said the 11th edition of the conference provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons from more than a decade of discussions on universal health coverage, healthcare financing, technology and the role of the private sector in strengthening Nigeria’s health system.

She said innovations would only deliver meaningful health outcomes if policymakers prioritised scale and sustainability from the outset.

Citing a review of digital innovations in maternal and newborn health in Nigeria, she said none of the 10 interventions examined had achieved sustained scale, largely because they lacked clear ownership within the health system and a pathway into routine service delivery.