2026 Ebola Outbreak Response in DRC

Direct Relief is mobilizing requested medical aid for health providers responding to a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where protective equipment, diagnostics, and supportive care supplies are urgently needed to protect clinicians and care for patients.

A Fast-Moving Outbreak With Regional Risk

The 2026 Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus that can cause severe illness and death.

---

The outbreak is unfolding in an area already affected by insecurity, displacement, mining-related movement, and frequent cross-border travel — conditions that can complicate surveillance, patient isolation, contact tracing, and safe access to care.

---

There is no vaccine to protect against Bundibugyo virus infection. That makes the basics urgent: protective equipment for health workers, diagnostics to identify cases, IV fluids and oral rehydration salts to treat dehydration, and medical supplies that help clinics safely screen, isolate, refer, and care for patients.

The Situation

A Rare Ebola Strain in a Region Under Pressure

The outbreak is centered in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where health authorities have reported rising cases and deaths linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak in DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing uncertainty about the outbreak’s scale and geographic spread.

The affected region faces significant public health challenges, including displacement, cross-border movement, and strained health services. Ituri Province borders Uganda and South Sudan, raising concern about wider regional spread.

Direct Relief’s Response

A Two-Sided Ebola Response Strategy: Protecting Providers, Maintaining Primary Care

An Ebola outbreak kills people in two ways. In addition to deaths from the disease itself, many die from loss of access to primary medical care. In the 2014–15 West Africa outbreak, more than 10,000 people died from malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis – not Ebola – because clinics shut down, people stopped seeking care out of fear, and health systems buckled under the strain. That death toll nearly matched the 11,325 lives Ebola itself claimed in the outbreak.

“An effective Ebola response has to do two things at once: contain the virus, and help the broader health system keep functioning,” said Dr. Jeffrey Samuel, a clinical pharmacist and Direct Relief’s regional director for Africa. “That is why Direct Relief is delivering not only PPE and supportive care medicines for Ebola, but also medicines and supplies that help partners continue primary care, chronic disease care, maternal health services, and other essential healthcare during the outbreak.”

Direct Relief is sending over a quarter million N95 respirators donated by 3M to help protect health workers on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak, responding to widespread PPE shortages reported across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The donation, which also includes eye protection and protective coveralls donated by 3M, is the largest announced shipment of N95s to date in response to the Ebola crisis. The shipment also contained essential medicines, including antibiotics, deworming treatments, medications for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, gastrointestinal drugs, oral rehydration salts, and water purification supplies.

Direct Relief has also sent a $2.5 million emergency shipment to Jericho Road Wellness Clinic in Goma. The shipment includes protective gear for health workers, supportive care treatments for patients, diagnostics, medical supplies, and medicines needed to manage complications and coexisting health conditions.

To help ensure the supplies reach the people who need them, Direct Relief is delivering the two large shipments to VillageReach, a global health non-profit working in the DRC and across Africa to transform health care delivery to reach everyone. VillageReach will coordinate the distribution with the National Public Health Institute of DRC’s Ministry of Public Health, to ensure these critical resources reach frontline health workers at the last mile – enabling them to safely continue providing care and helping to limit the spread of the virus.

Direct Relief is coordinating with regional and international response partners, including Africa CDC and the International Organization for Migration, while continuing to monitor medical needs as the outbreak evolves.