BUSIA County Government

KENYA & UGANDA JOIN FORCES WITH ECSA-HC TO BOLSTER EBOLA PREPAREDNESS AT BUSIA BORDER

Kenya and Uganda have launched a joint assessment mission at the Busia One Stop Border Post, partnering with the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) to evaluate gaps in Ebola preparedness, screening systems, and Standard Operating Procedures compliance. The team-up comes as Busia remains one of East Africa's busiest trade corridors, where any disruption carries serious weight for regional cross-border operations.

The assessment as led by Senior Medical Epidemiologists from ECSA-HC, alongside regional emergency preparedness specialists, country health teams, immigration officers, and frontline port health authorities from both nations were ascertaining deployment of specialized screening assessment tools originally developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), which enabled the joint team to analyze operational gaps, standardize screening protocols, and roll out immediate corrective measures to prevent any viral threat from crossing undetected.

The collaboration underscores a defining principle in global health security indicating that infectious diseases do not respect geopolitical boundaries. Through ECSA-HC, member states leverage WHO-designed diagnostic frameworks to audit passenger screening in real time, address vulnerabilities as they emerge, and enforce life-saving health protocols at shared entry points.

Beyond Kenya and Uganda, ECSA-HC's membership spans ten countries across the region, including Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

BUSIA COUNTY FRONTLINE WORKERS CONDUCT EBOLA PREPAREDNESS DRILL AMID RISING REGIONAL CASES

Frontline health workers in Busia County yesterday conducted a live Ebola simulation drill at the Alupe Isolation Site, demonstrating their readiness to respond to a potential outbreak following an intensive week-long training programme for designated response teams.

The exercise comes at a critical moment, as the threat of Ebola transmission in the region continues to escalate rapidly. According to the World Health Organization's latest report dated 29 May, a good number of confirmed cases and deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of particular concern to Busia County is neighbouring Uganda, which has already registered nine confirmed positive cases a factor that has put the border county on high alert given its direct geographical proximity.

The simulation, conducted at the Alupe Isolation Site, was designed to test the county's end-to-end response capacity, from early detection and patient handling to isolation and case management.

Having successfully completed the exercise, Busia County is now considered equipped and prepared to manage an Ebola case should one emerge within its borders. Surveillance at border crossing points has simultaneously been heightened as a precautionary measure.

The drill was coordinated through a robust multi-agency partnership, bringing together the World Health Organization ( ), the Ministry of Health ( ), the National Public Health Institute ( ), US. Department of State through Strengthening Infectious Disease Systems ( ), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development ( ), and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( -U.S.), reflecting the seriousness with which regional and international health bodies are treating the growing threat.