The US State Department elevated the three countries to its highest advisory level, “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” while also advising citizens to reconsider travel to neighboring Rwanda due to its proximity to affected regions.

The advisory followed new emergency measures announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including enhanced airport screening procedures for travelers arriving from outbreak-hit areas and temporary visa-related restrictions.

US health authorities said non-American passport holders who had traveled to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan within the previous 21 days would face restrictions on entry into the United States.

The CDC said the risk of Ebola spreading within the United States remained low but confirmed it was coordinating the evacuation of an American doctor infected with the virus in the DRC, along with six additional individuals undergoing medical monitoring.
German authorities said on Tuesday they were prepared to receive the infected US doctor for treatment.

The latest outbreak involves a strain of Ebola for which no approved vaccine or treatment has yet proven effective, according to health officials.

The CDC said it was expanding technical support for authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and working with international partners to strengthen surveillance and containment operations.

The US State Department said Washington was mobilizing approximately $13 million in emergency assistance to support the response.

Questions have also emerged regarding whether recent funding cuts to the United States Agency for International Development affected outbreak preparedness and monitoring capabilities in the region. US officials declined to directly address concerns about whether reductions in USAID resources had weakened health response infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump said he was concerned about the outbreak but described the situation as currently confined to Africa.

Ebola, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976, has killed an estimated 15,000 people globally over the past five decades. Depending on the strain, fatality rates can reach as high as 90 percent.

Public health experts have long warned that fragile healthcare systems, regional instability and population displacement in parts of Central Africa complicate efforts to rapidly contain outbreaks.

Few moments in television history have captured the connection between humans and the natural world as powerfully as the famous scene of David Attenborough sitting quietly among a family of mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda.

The unforgettable sequence, filmed in 1978 for the landmark BBC series Life on Earth and broadcast in 1979, showed a young gorilla climbing over Attenborough, another tugging at his shoelaces, and an adult female gently turning his head to look directly into her eyes.

It was a brief moment of trust, curiosity, and extraordinary calm and it would become one of the defining images of wildlife broadcasting.Now, as Attenborough approaches his 100th birthday on May 8, new BBC and Netflix documentaries are revisiting that iconic encounter and the remarkable story of the gorilla family behind it.

The original plan had been far simpler. Attenborough and his crew had travelled to Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains hoping only to film a gorilla’s thumb a small but important detail for explaining how primates evolved the ability to grip tools.Instead, they found themselves in one of the most intimate wildlife moments ever captured on camera.

At the time, mountain gorillas were on the brink of extinction. Poaching, trophy hunting, and the illegal capture of animals for zoos had reduced their numbers in the Virunga region to fewer than 300. They were difficult to approach, and filming them in the wild was considered nearly impossible.

The crew’s only hope was gaining the trust of Dian Fossey, the American gorilla expert whose pioneering work at the Karisoke Research Center had made her the world’s leading authority on mountain gorillas.Fossey, who later became globally known for her conservation efforts, had dedicated her life to studying and protecting gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Attenborough doubted she would allow a television crew anywhere near her carefully observed gorilla groups.But after writing to her, the team received an invitation.“We couldn’t have got anywhere near them without Dian,” Attenborough later said. “She introduced us to this group and taught us how to behave in their presence.”

Her instructions were simple but crucial: never stare directly at a gorilla, keep your head lowered, and communicate calmly using soft belching sounds a form of gorilla reassurance.That advice proved invaluable.When the crew finally entered the gorillas’ territory, they expected only a careful observation from a distance. Instead, the gorillas approached them.

A young gorilla named Poppy became fascinated with Attenborough’s shoes and tried to pull them off. Another infant, three-year-old Pablo, climbed onto him and lay across his body as if using him as furniture. Then an adult female placed her hand on Attenborough’s head, turned his face toward hers, and gently put a finger in his mouth before making a belching sound.

“So I did my best to respond,” he recalled.The crew watched nervously. Film stock was limited, and they had not planned to spend it on their presenter rolling on the forest floor with gorillas. Yet those spontaneous minutes became the emotional heart of the series.Only a short section of the interaction was captured, but it was enough.“It was one of the most privileged moments of my life,” Attenborough said. “I dream about it.”The day did not end peacefully.

As the team descended the mountain, gunshots rang out nearby. Rwandan soldiers stopped them at a roadblock, questioned them, and detained the crew overnight. Attenborough and his cameraman were later taken to an army compound in Kigali and held for hours before being released.

Though shaken, they were relieved that the precious film footage had not been confiscated.When Life on Earth aired in 1979, it became a global phenomenon. The BBC series transformed natural history television, reaching an estimated 500 million viewers worldwide and changing the way audiences saw wildlife.The gorilla sequence stood out because it did something unusual: it reversed the traditional relationship between humans and animals.

Rather than humans observing wild beasts from a safe distance, viewers watched gorillas showing curiosity, gentleness, and emotional intelligence toward a human visitor.As Attenborough said in the original narration, “We see the world in the same way as they do.”The scene challenged long-held stereotypes of gorillas as dangerous jungle creatures and instead revealed them as complex social beings — affectionate, playful, protective, and deeply familiar.

The impact extended beyond television. Inspired by the encounter, Attenborough worked with the conservation charity Fauna & Flora to help establish the Mountain Gorilla Project, aimed at protecting the species and supporting conservation efforts.In 1985, seven years after Attenborough’s visit, Dian Fossey was murdered in Rwanda, a tragedy that brought even greater international attention to the threats facing gorillas.

Her legacy, however, endured. Conservation programs, education, and carefully managed eco-tourism helped stabilize the gorilla population. Today, around 600 mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains a fragile but significant conservation success.The story also continued within the gorilla family itself.

A new Netflix documentary, A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough, follows the descendants of Pablo, the playful infant gorilla who climbed onto Attenborough during filming.Researchers discovered that Pablo survived despite being abandoned by his mother as a baby a rare achievement.

He later became the dominant silverback leader of his group, a powerful position reserved for the strongest males. He died at the age of 33 while defending his family.His descendants still live in the Virungas today.Dr Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund said the reason the original footage still resonates is because people instantly recognized something familiar.“We can see so much of ourselves,” she said.

“Any three-year-old might want to come and sit on your lap and use you as furniture. Pablo was doing exactly the same thing.”That simple truth may explain why the moment has never faded.

In a forest clearing in Rwanda nearly half a century ago, the line between human and animal briefly disappeared. What remained was recognition one species looking into the eyes of another and finding something unmistakably shared.

In its Global Hepatitis Report 2026, the United Nations health agency said hepatitis B and C, which account for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide, caused 1.34 million deaths in 2024, while more than 1.8 million new infections were recorded during the year.

WHO estimated that 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infections in 2024, despite the availability of vaccines and highly effective treatments.“Progress is too slow and uneven,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.“Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and inequitable access to care.

While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed,” he said.Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by infectious viruses and other agents, often leading to severe complications including liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer.

Of the five main viral strains, hepatitis B and C are the deadliest and remain among the world’s leading infectious disease killers.The WHO said fewer than 5% of the 240 million people living with chronic hepatitis B in 2024 were receiving treatment. For hepatitis C, only 20% of infected people have been treated since 2015.

In Africa, which carries the heaviest burden of hepatitis B infections, only 17% of newborns received the recommended birth-dose vaccine in 2024, raising concerns about continued mother-to-child transmission.

Six countries China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam are among the top 10 globally for deaths linked to hepatitis B and C, the report said.“Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection due to chronic viral hepatitis represents a preventable death,” said Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO department overseeing hepatitis programs.

The agency said proven medical tools are already available. The hepatitis B vaccine protects more than 95% of recipients from both acute and chronic infection, while long-term antiviral treatment can help prevent severe liver disease in chronic cases.

For hepatitis C, short-course curative therapies lasting eight to 12 weeks can cure more than 95% of infections, WHO said.The agency pointed to United Kingdom, Egypt, Georgia and Rwanda as examples of countries demonstrating that hepatitis can be eliminated as a public health problem through sustained policy action and financing.

“Eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream: it’s possible with sustained political commitment, backed by reliable domestic financing,” Tedros said.Since 2015, annual new hepatitis B infections have fallen by 32%, while hepatitis C-related deaths have declined by 12%, according to WHO data.

Rwanda is tightening controls on land use and accelerating the adoption of urban farming technologies as it seeks to safeguard agricultural output in one of Africa’s most densely populated nations, where rapid urban expansion is placing increasing pressure on limited farmland.

In Kigali, construction activity continues to reshape the skyline, often encroaching on areas historically used for cultivation. The government has responded by introducing stricter monitoring mechanisms, including satellite mapping of agricultural zones, to prevent unauthorized development on farmland and forest areas.

Officials say these measures are part of a broader strategy to maintain food security as the country’s population is projected to reach 22 million in the coming years.The pressure on land is compounded by rising global costs of agricultural inputs, particularly fertilizers, which have increased since the onset of the Iran war.

These external shocks have reinforced concerns among policymakers about reliance on imported inputs and the vulnerability of domestic food systems to global disruptions.

Local accounts illustrate the impact of urban growth on traditional farming livelihoods. Mukarusini Purisikira, an 84-year-old farmer in Kigali, said her family lost much of its land to construction after returning from displacement during the 1994 genocide.

She now cultivates maize and sweet potatoes on a small plot, which she describes as barely sufficient for subsistence. Nearby construction sites continue to expand, underscoring the competition between housing demand and agricultural preservation.

To address these challenges, the government has designated approximately 22 percent of Kigali’s land for agricultural use under its master plan. Authorities have also introduced penalties for violations, including fines of up to $3,000 and prison sentences of up to six months for developers who encroach on protected farmland.

In some cases, buildings erected in restricted zones have been demolished, according to local officials, although individuals associated with such developments have declined to comment publicly.City authorities acknowledge the strong demand for housing but argue that long-term planning must account for rising food needs.

Emma-Claudine Ntirenganya, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office, said agricultural productivity will need to increase even as available land shrinks. She noted that most of the food consumed in Kigali is sourced from other districts, where farmland is also under pressure from population growth and land conversion.

To improve compliance and transparency, the government has distributed maps identifying zones designated for construction and those reserved for agriculture. Officials say these tools are intended to guide both developers and communities in aligning with national land-use priorities.

Alongside regulatory measures, Rwanda is promoting alternative farming methods designed to maximize output on smaller plots. Urban agriculture initiatives in Kigali include rooftop greenhouses, vertical farming systems, and hydroponic techniques that use water rather than soil.

The city administration itself is establishing a greenhouse on its premises as part of efforts to demonstrate the viability of such approaches.Private sector actors are also contributing to this shift. Christian Irakoze, co-founder of Eza Neza, a company focused on vertical farming, said the model allows for scalable food production within limited spaces.

At sites visited in Kigali, vertical systems have been used to grow hundreds of plants along perimeter walls, supplying both households and local retailers. Irakoze said the approach reduces dependence on conventional inputs by incorporating locally available materials such as manure and volcanic sediment.

“We really have to find ways to find our own solutions,” Irakoze said, referring to the need to adapt farming practices to local conditions and reduce exposure to global supply disruptions.

Training initiatives led by agronomists are further supporting the transition to intensive, technology-driven agriculture. Richard Bucyana, one of the agronomists involved in these programs, said the focus is on equipping farmers with techniques that increase yields without requiring additional land.

Hydroponics and other controlled-environment systems are being promoted as viable options for urban and peri-urban settings.

Government officials and practitioners alike frame these efforts as part of a broader push toward self-sufficiency.

While Rwanda continues to rely on food imports and inter-district supply chains, the emphasis on innovation reflects a strategic attempt to buffer the domestic agricultural sector against external shocks and structural constraints.The combination of stricter land-use enforcement and investment in alternative farming methods highlights the balancing act facing policymakers.

As Kigali expands and demand for housing intensifies, preserving agricultural capacity remains central to maintaining food security in a country where arable land is both scarce and under increasing strain.

The United States is restructuring how it delivers life-saving medical supplies for HIV and malaria to low-income countries, a shift that officials and health experts warn could disrupt treatment access across parts of Africa and Asia.

The changes centre on winding down the Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management, a U.S.-funded initiative run by Chemonics, which has coordinated the delivery of critical medicines and prevention tools since 2016. According to internal communications and multiple sources familiar with the matter, U.S. officials have been instructed to begin halting implementation of the programme by May 30.

From its inception through 2024, the programme distributed more than $5 billion worth of HIV and malaria-related commodities to 90 countries, with a primary focus on sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. The supplies included antiretroviral drugs, malaria treatments and insecticide-treated bed nets, forming a key component of global disease control efforts.The restructuring follows broader changes to U.S.

foreign aid policy under the administration of Donald Trump, which has prioritised reducing reliance on contractors, cutting budgets and shifting toward direct agreements with recipient governments. The overhaul also comes after the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development, which had previously overseen much of Washington’s development assistance.

Five sources familiar with the transition said the pace of the changes risks creating supply gaps for essential medicines, particularly in countries with fragile health systems. An internal email reviewed by Reuters warned that accelerating the transition without a clear implementation plan could jeopardise continuity of services.

The communication, sent by the U.S. State Department to staff in 17 African countries and Haiti, directed country teams to prepare for the end of programme operations while outlining potential risks. It did not provide a detailed roadmap for replacement mechanisms, instead asking local offices to identify vulnerabilities and report back to Washington.

A State Department spokesperson said the agency had not issued technical instructions for Chemonics to cease operations by May 30, though the contract is set to expire on September 30 in line with other USAID awards. The official end date is listed as November.

The uncertainty has revived concerns stemming from earlier disruptions. In January last year, a freeze on international aid left millions of dollars’ worth of medical supplies stranded in ports and warehouses worldwide, including HIV drugs and malaria prevention tools. Distribution resumed only after waivers were granted for life-saving interventions.

Six sources said the United States has been in discussions with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria about potentially using its procurement and distribution systems to replace the existing programme. The Geneva-based institution already manages approximately $2 billion in annual purchases for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes through partnerships with national governments and implementing agencies.

However, two sources said earlier plans had envisaged a transition timeline extending to November 2027, allowing sufficient time for procurement cycles and logistical adjustments. Compressing this timeline into a matter of months could create operational bottlenecks, they said, noting that delivering medical supplies to remote areas can take up to a year from order to distribution.

The Global Fund declined to comment on the discussions. The State Department did not directly confirm the talks but said it would rely on pooled procurement mechanisms to secure supplies at competitive prices from private manufacturers.The policy shift is part of a broader “America First” approach to global health funding, which aims to reduce what officials describe as inefficiencies in the existing system.

A strategy document released in September argued that contractor-led programmes had contributed to waste and inflated costs, and emphasised direct funding for frontline services and national governments.

Under the new approach, Washington has signed 28 bilateral health agreements with partner countries and is increasingly channeling funds directly to national authorities. It also plans to use private logistics firms to handle distribution rather than relying on large development contractors.

Recent agreements with countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda include commitments to increase domestic health spending alongside U.S. funding. However, implementation has encountered obstacles. In Kenya, a proposed deal faces legal challenges from activists concerned about data privacy, while negotiations with Zambia have been delayed as officials seek to safeguard national interests.

Health experts and aid practitioners say the transition risks compounding existing vulnerabilities in global disease control programmes. Previous disruptions linked to funding changes have already contributed to shortages of malaria treatments for children and gaps in HIV prevention services in several countries.

The State Department defended the overhaul, describing the current system as outdated and inefficient. A spokesperson said the new model would prioritise value for American taxpayers while maintaining support for critical health interventions.

Despite those assurances, several sources involved in programme delivery said the lack of a detailed transition plan remains a central concern. They warned that without clear coordination between donors, governments and implementing partners, the shift could interrupt supply chains that millions depend on for survival.

Algeria hosts its first Arab league summit since the Covid pandemic. Food security, political turmoil in Libya and Sudan and the Nile dam dispute are on the agenda. Intense fighting in DR Congo’s North Kivu province is leading to major population displacement.

And at the Second Presidential Summit on Gender Based Violence in South Africa, activists call out President Ramaphosa asking what he’s done to combat violence against women since his first summit in 2018.