Head of Africa disease control agency calls for $319 million to battle Ebola outbreak
- J.A. Jones
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
In May 2026, a new Ebola outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda. On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO), Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that the outbreak constituted a “public health emergency of international concern.”
Soon after, Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the African Centres for Disease Control added 10 additional countries to the at-risk list –Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia – due to proximity, travel, and lack of capacity to detect.
Large outbreaks are caused by a group of viruses: Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Bundibugyo virus. However, according to the medical support project Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, there are no currently approved vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus that appeared in May in DRC and immediately spread to Uganda.
“People are circulating in DRC, and people are also circulating around neighboring countries,” Kasey stated on a recent newscast. “But more importantly, if countries…don't increase the capacity to detect, they are really at risk.”
He added that “African citizens are working with countries to deal with this issue. By the end of this year, we'll make sure [there is a] vaccine, but for now, they have just to implement the public health measures. People are listening.”
He said that so far the DRC has committed to directing $20 million and Uganda $5 million to combat the disease, and he expects more African nations to come to the table, with South Africa already providing $2.5 million.
However, with shrinking aid budgets adding to the crisis, Kaseya called for additional global support in order to make sure African nations have a vaccine, pointing out how research and vaccines for diseases in Western countries are quickly given international support. “Africa was badly treated by Western countries, because if this disease was in the EU, in the US, or in Europe, the medicine and the vaccine would be available.”
He called for $319 million in aid to combat the disease in all 10 countries on the at-risk list.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of May 29, the DRC and Uganda Ministries of Health report the following:
DRC:
906 suspected cases
125 confirmed cases
223 suspected deaths
17 confirmed deaths
Uganda
7 confirmed cases
1 confirmed death
International aid organizations have reported that at least six Americans were exposed to Ebola virus in Congo.
The fatality rate of most Ebola infection cases varies is around 50%, with rates varying
between 25–90%. Humans contract the virus from animals including fruit bats, porcupines, and nonhuman primates, and transmit it to others through blood, bodily fluids, and contaminated materials and surfaces (clothing, bedding).
Ongoing and escalating violence and fighting between Congolese security forces and Rwanda-backed militant group M23Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) has exacerbated the deadly conditions in which the Ebola outbreak has erupted.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, DRC already has one of the “largest and deadliest humanitarian crises in the world,” with one million Congolese seeking asylum abroad as its population of twenty-one million people live in urgent need of food and medical support.
On May 27, Ghebreyesus shared in a post on X, “Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.”
On May 28, WHO shared a message from Ghebreyesus to the citizens of the DRC, in which he shared, “This is the 17th Ebola outbreak in DRC. Together, you have overcome every single one before. That is not a small thing. That is a testament to the strength and resilience of your communities. I have seen that strength with my own eyes.”
To support efforts to battle the deadly Ebola outbreak, visit the following:
UN Crisis Relief - https://crisisrelief.un.org/en/donate-drc-crisis
Doctors Without Borders - https://msf.org.uk/article/ebola-outbreak-2026-what-msf-doing-and-how-can-i-help
International Rescue Committee - https://www.rescue.org/article/conflict-drc-what-you-need-know-about-crisis
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