In response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, scientists from Stellenbosch University (SU) have collaborated with expert from the affected region to outline key challenges and priorities for supporting authorities in managing the crisis. Their timely report was published as a commentary in The Lancet in June 2026.

Professor Jean Nachega, Director of SU’s Biomedical Research Institute, was the lead author of the report, which highlights the complex challenges facing not only healthcare systems, but also the broader social, economic and political conditions that complicate outbreak response and care delivery.

The research team, which included a co-discoverer of the Ebola virus, Prof Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum from the Institut National pour la Recerche Biomedicale in the DRC, also presented a set of recommendations to strengthen the public health response to the epidemic in the region.

Read the full report here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)01141-4/fulltext