DAR ES SALAAM, June 4 (Xinhua) -- East African Community (EAC) ministers of health have agreed to improve Ebola surveillance and protective measures across all airports, ports and land border crossings, while establishing a regional technical taskforce to coordinate response efforts to the ongoing outbreak, the regional bloc said in a statement on Thursday.

Under the new directive, EAC member states will align screening procedures and traveler health declarations with the World Health Organization guidance, with support from a newly established Regional Technical Taskforce of experts to monitor the outbreak and share real-time information.

The statement said that as of June 1, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reported 121 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,077 suspected cases, while Uganda recorded 11 confirmed cases and one death, highlighting ongoing regional risks.

To strengthen preparedness, the region has deployed 10 operational mobile laboratories for rapid detection while accelerating frontline health worker training and the approval framework for Ebola vaccines and therapeutics, the bloc added.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba said on Thursday that the country remained free of Ebola, reaffirming that the government has strengthened surveillance systems, border screening and public awareness campaigns. ■