Uganda hosts Africa's Ebola emergency command centre

________________ A continental emergency command centre aimed at strengthening the response to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak has been launched at Makerere University in Kampala. The Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) was officially launched on June 27, 2026, at the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University. The initiative, established by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), is intended to support country-led efforts to contain high-threat public health emergencies across the continent. In line with their mandate to prevent, detect and control disease outbreaks, Africa CDC and WHO have activated formal emergency response mechanisms to coordinate and strengthen regional preparedness and response efforts. The IMST will serve as the central platform for strategic leadership and decision-making, operational planning, resource coordination, information management, partner engagement and oversight of outbreak response interventions. The continental team will operate under the principles of "One Plan, One Team, One Budget and One Monitoring and Evaluation Framework" to ensure all partners work through a unified coordination structure. The approach is expected to minimise duplication, enhance accountability and accelerate the implementation of outbreak control measures in affected and at-risk countries. The operationalisation of the regional logistics hub in Entebbe will provide a critical mechanism for staging, securing and rapidly deploying essential medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and technical expertise to affected areas and other member states at risk.