Somalia's Ministry of Health and Human Services and the National Institute of Health, with support from WHO, have concluded a 3-day simulation exercise in Mogadishu to test how the country would detect, verify, report and respond to a credible alert or suspected imported case of Ebola disease. Somalia has not reported any confirmed case.
A total of 70 participants from the Federal Ministry of Health and Human Services, the National Institute of Health, Federal Member States, and partner organizations took part in the exercise. Tabletop and functional sessions tested coordination between federal and state authorities, points of entry, referral pathways, information sharing, risk communication and response planning.
The exercise took place as the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to respond to a large outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus. As of 7 September 2026, WHO reported 6757 confirmed cases and 3267 deaths across 61 health zones in 6 provinces. The government-led response has been scaling up supplies, testing and treatment capacity, and vaccine and therapeutic trials.
