Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) approved $319 million for six-months to contain the Ebola outbreak in the DR. Congo and Uganda.
The funds will be used for treatment, surveillance, and border screening.
According to Africa CDC’s statement, the fund needs to be secured between June and November 2026 , warning that delays in financing and response could accelerate cross-border transmission across central and eastern Africa.
It said the outbreak is expanding in insecure, resource scarce areas, complicating containment for a rare strain with no approved vaccine or targeted treatment.
The plan targets response operations in affected countries while strengthening preparedness in at least 11 high-risk member states over the June to November 2026 period.
Officials said nearly $500 million has already been pledged or committed by governments, multilateral agencies and humanitarian partners, although verification of contributions and alignment of allocations is still ongoing.
The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has raised concern among health officials who warn it could become one of the most significant epidemics since the 2014 West Africa outbreak if containment efforts falter.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the next phase of the response will focus on validating pledges and ensuring funds are directed toward priority interventions through the Incident Management Support Team.
Director General of World health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health authorities are responding to the rapidly expanding outbreak following delayed detection in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The World Health Organization has released 3.9 million US dollars from its emergency contingency fund.
“We know this virus, and we know how to stop it,” he said, warning that conditions could worsen before improving.
African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the outbreak highlights persistent gaps in surveillance systems, emergency operations centres, laboratory capacity and local manufacturing.
The response is being complicated by insecurity, displacement and attacks on health facilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside limited laboratory capacity and the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain.
MG/as/APA