Sylvester Z. Moyo and Edwin Shumba, ASLM

The 2026 Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in May 2026, is a stark reminder that Africa’s ability to detect, characterise, and respond to high-consequence pathogens depends on the strength of its laboratory systems. Over the past decade, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) and Africa CDC have worked to build that foundation, from deploying diagnostic materials during active outbreaks to establishing continent-wide genomic sequencing infrastructure that enables faster, smarter public health responses.

In collaboration with Africa CDC, ASLM has made direct operational contributions to Ebola preparedness and response on the continent. In October 2025, under the EU-funded PAMTA project, ASLM coordinated the freight and distribution of diagnostic materials and laboratory consumables to six provinces in the DRC in direct support of the country’s Ebola outbreak response, helping to decentralise testing capacity at a critical moment in the epidemic.

This deployment reflected a broader pattern of emergency responsiveness under PAMTA, which has demonstrated ASLM’s ability to pivot procurement and logistics rapidly in response to concurrent outbreaks — including the deployment of RT-PCR test kits to Ethiopia during the 2025 Marburg outbreak, enabling 1,920 tests, and the procurement of Mpox diagnostic kits for Madagascar (enabling up to 5,000 tests) and Comoros (enabling up to 2,000 tests). This flexibility is a hallmark of the partnership between ASLM and Africa CDC, where laboratory systems strengthening investments also serve as outbreak response infrastructure.

With over 600 confirmed Ebola cases across the DRC and Uganda as of June 2026, the ongoing Bundibugyo virus outbreak underscores the continued need for rapid diagnostic deployment, specimen referral, and laboratory workforce readiness — all areas where these joint investments are making a tangible difference.

In 2019, only seven African countries could conduct even basic genomic sequencing in their public health laboratories. Today, 46 countries have that capacity — a transformation driven by the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (PGI), a flagship partnership between Africa CDC, ASLM, and a coalition of global partners. This expansion has been underpinned by laboratory upgrades at over 20 National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), workforce training through the Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics Fellowship Programme (three tracks including wet-lab NGS, bioinformatics, and epidemiological genomics), and ongoing technical assistance.

In November 2025, Africa CDC and ASLM launched the Africa Genomic Archive for Response and Insight (AGARI) platform, a secure, continent-wide system for sharing and analysing pathogen genomic data. AGARI enables Member States to move from isolated sequencing to integrated, real-time genomic surveillance, which is a critical capability for outbreaks like the current Ebola epidemic, where rapid pathogen characterisation informs treatment protocols and vaccine development.

Genomic data shared through AGARI and global databases enables real-time tracking of pathogen evolution, drug resistance, and transmission patterns — allowing public health authorities to tailor interventions with precision rather than relying on generic protocols.

During the launch, Mr. Nqobile Ndlovu, CEO of ASLM, emphasized that, “The launch of these projects is pivotal in devising scalable and sustainable approaches for integrating molecular diagnostics and sequencing within Africa’s routine surveillance structures.”

African NPHIs and National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) now routinely conduct genome sequencing of priority pathogens, including Mpox, Lassa fever, Dengue, HIV, Vibrio cholerae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Plasmodium falciparum. This shift from COVID-19 emergency sequencing to multi-pathogen routine surveillance represented the maturation of Africa PGI into its second phase (Africa PGI 2.0), which focuses on building an optimised, resilient, and integrated molecular diagnostic and genomic surveillance ecosystem across the continent.

The 7-1-7 framework target calls for the detection of an outbreak within 7 days of emergence, notification to public health authorities within 1 day of detection, and initiation of a complete response within 7 days of notification. Genomic sequencing and strong laboratory referral systems are essential to meeting the first two milestones. With next-generation sequencing capacity now available in 46 African countries, pathogen identification that previously required referral to international laboratories can increasingly be done in-country — dramatically reducing turnaround times.

Additionally, the Africa CDC Laboratory Network Information Management System (NIMS), a platform supported by Africa CDC and ASLM, strengthens cross-border specimen referral and tracking, enabling specimens to move quickly to the nearest sequencing-capable laboratory.

The recent Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda is a test of the systems that Africa CDC, ASLM, and their partners have spent years building. From diagnostic kit deployment to genome sequencing, the continent’s laboratory infrastructure is stronger than it has ever been — but sustained investment is essential.

ASLM remains committed to working with Africa CDC and Member States to ensure that every laboratory professional, every specimen referral pathway, and every sequencing platform is ready for the next outbreak.

For more information, visit: ASLM Outbreak Portal