The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a $518 million six-month emergency response plan aimed at containing ongoing Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
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According to a Reuters report published on Friday, the initiative was announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus alongside the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The strategy is designed to support outbreak containment efforts in the two affected countries while helping neighbouring nations strengthen preparedness measures, including enhanced border screening and surveillance systems.
What they are saying
WHO and Africa CDC officials warned that the outbreak is spreading rapidly and that response efforts are struggling to keep pace with new infections. They stressed that sustained funding, political commitment, and community cooperation will be critical to containing the disease.
- “The World Health Organization chief announced a $518 million six-month joint plan to fight Ebola on Friday, calling for money and political commitment to halt the spread of an outbreak that is already the fourth biggest on record.”
- “The strategy aims to help the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda contain their outbreaks, while assisting other countries to prepare for possible cases through measures including enhanced border screening, the WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said,” the Reuters report read.
- According to Africa CDC, the outbreak went undetected for several weeks, allowing the virus to spread before health authorities could mount a full response.
Current figures show that the DRC has recorded 381 confirmed Ebola cases and 62 deaths, while Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths.
More insights
Health officials disclosed that the outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. The strain presents additional challenges for healthcare workers because existing Ebola countermeasures were developed primarily for other variants of the virus.
- Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya described the situation as the most serious Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak recorded to date.
- Donors have so far pledged about $315.8 million toward response efforts, leaving a significant funding gap for the six-month strategy.
- Commonly used Ebola tests initially failed to detect the Bundibugyo strain, while laboratories have experienced delays in processing results.
- Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, said test results can take several days to more than a week, slowing containment efforts.
Officials also cited community resistance, attacks on burial teams and treatment centres, and broader security concerns as major obstacles to controlling the outbreak. To support frontline personnel, WHO recently received three armoured vehicles from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo.
Get up to speed
On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain a global health emergency after cases were confirmed in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with cross-border spread later reported in Kampala, Uganda.
- At the time, health authorities recorded eight confirmed cases, 246 suspected infections, and 80 suspected deaths across Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu health zones.
- Current data shows the outbreak has risen to over 670 suspected cases and about 160 suspected deaths.
- On May 22, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs approved up to $60 million from its emergency fund to support containment efforts.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says no confirmed Ebola case has been recorded in Nigeria. In response to regional risks, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has strengthened screening and surveillance measures at international airports to prevent possible importation of the virus.
What you should know
The Ebola outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Bundibugyo ebolavirus has only been linked to two previous outbreaks, in Uganda (2007) and eastern DRC (2012).
- Most existing Ebola vaccines and therapies target the more common Zaire strain, not Bundibugyo.
- The Zaire strain was responsible for the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak that killed over 11,000 people.
- The DRC has experienced more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks over the past 50 years and remains one of the most experienced countries in Ebola response.
Meanwhile, WHO recently revised down the number of Ebola cases linked to the outbreak in the DRC, stating that there were 321 confirmed infections, 48 deaths, and six recoveries following updated figures released by Congolese authorities on June 1.
