(JUBA) – South Sudan has raised its Ebola alert level after neighbouring Kenya confirmed its first case of the disease, health authorities said on 7th October.
No cases have been confirmed inside South Sudan.
The alert covers the Bundibugyo virus, the strain responsible for the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has now spread across borders.
Caretaker Health Minister Dak Duop Bichiok said the government was closely monitoring the regional situation.
He said the national health system had been placed on a high state of alert because of South Sudan’s borders and the movement of people and goods across the region.
“We want to reassure the citizens of South Sudan and all the residents within our borders that no confirmed cases in South Sudan have been reported,” Bichiok said at a press conference in Juba.
He said the confirmation of Ebola in Kenya had increased the risk of cross-border transmission.
He pointed to South Sudan’s proximity to affected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo and regional travel routes through Uganda and Kenya.
The Kenyan patient was a citizen who had lived in eastern Congo for several years.
According to the World Health Organization in October 2026, he travelled by road through Uganda before flying to Nairobi on 3rd October.
He was isolated and later died on 5th October.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported in October 2026 that Kenya has since identified 28 contacts, including family members and healthcare workers, and placed them under quarantine.
The government has urged communities, travellers, transport operators, religious leaders and civil society organisations to cooperate with health officials.
Screening is being carried out at border crossings and other points of entry.
Dr Ader Machar Aciek, acting executive director of the National Public Health Institute, said preparedness measures had already been activated following Ebola outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda.
“We have people doing screening at the points of entry across the border, along the border in the 15 high-risk counties, as well as our international airport, Juba International Airport,” Aciek said.
The National Public Health Institute said in October 2026 that it convened a half-day workshop with line ministries on 5th October.
The workshop aimed to strengthen coordinated preparedness and response to Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease.
It brought together officials from the security sector, donors, implementing partners, the private sector and line ministries.
These included Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Education, Humanitarian Affairs, Transport, Environment, Wildlife and Civil Aviation.
Participating sectors agreed to take responsibility for their defined roles, strengthen coordination and information sharing, and improve preparedness at points of entry and other high-risk areas.
According to the World Health Organization, South Sudan’s preparedness level has improved since the regional outbreak was first reported.
It rose from 29 per cent in May to 45 per cent in June and 65 per cent currently.
Dr Moses Ongom, WHO’s officer in charge in South Sudan, attributed the improvement to efforts by the Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute and partners.
He said they had strengthened surveillance, response and case management capacity.
He cautioned, however, that improved preparedness should not lead to complacency.
Africa CDC Country Director Dr Tolbert Nyenswah said South Sudan had surveillance systems, disease detection mechanisms, rapid response teams and laboratory testing capacity.
He said these could help the country respond quickly if a case were detected.
He cited Uganda’s response to its recent outbreak, saying authorities had contained it within 92 days after 20 cases and two deaths were recorded.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported in October 2026 that the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now recorded more than 8,600 confirmed cases and over 4,100 deaths.
This makes it the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in that country.
Kenya has screened more than 652,000 travellers and tested 267 suspected samples since going on heightened alert, according to the Kenya Ministry of Health in October 2026.
Nearly 5,000 health workers have been trained in prevention and case management.
The health ministry urged the public to remain calm but vigilant and to report suspected cases.
It particularly urged people showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea or unusual bleeding to seek help.
It advised people to avoid direct physical contact with suspected patients.
It also urged regular hand hygiene, avoiding contact with potentially infected animals and refraining from handling the bodies of people who may have died with Ebola like symptoms.
The government said suspected cases could be reported through the toll free health hotline 6666.
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