US adds $242 million to Congo Ebola response

The United States allocates an additional $242 million to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, bringing its total direct assistance to $512 million. The outbreak, the second-largest in history, has caused 1,751 deaths amid containment challenges like armed conflict and the lack of a vaccine for the circulating Bundibugyo strain. While the U.S. praises Uganda's response, it faces criticism over travel restrictions and a quarantine facility in Kenya.

US Ebola funding increase

• ▪The United States government announced an additional $242 million in funding to combat the Ebola outbreak, bringing its total direct assistance to over $512 million.
• ▪The U.S. funding package supports public health interventions including disease surveillance, patient isolation, border screening, health facility strengthening, and community engagement.
• ▪Prior U.S. funding has supported more than 180 health facilities, 12 specialized treatment centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the distribution of nearly 300 metric tons of supplies.
• ▪The U.S. State Department's additional $242 million allocation is intended to fund up to six months of Ebola response and preparedness activities in affected countries.

DRC outbreak severity

• ▪The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, 2026, which has become the second-largest outbreak of the disease in history.
• ▪The French medical charity MSF stated that the number of deaths in the first 11 weeks of the outbreak drastically outpaced the figures from the same period of the 2014-2016 West African epidemic.
• ▪Congolese authorities have reported 3,874 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,751 deaths since the outbreak began.
• ▪The World Health Organization warned that the true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could be two to four times larger than official figures suggest.

Outbreak containment challenges

• ▪The current Ebola epidemic is complicated by the absence of established vaccines and medical treatments specifically for the circulating Bundibugyo strain.
• ▪Containment of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is hampered by delayed detection, surveillance system gaps, and ongoing armed conflict.

International response coordination

• ▪State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott disputed criticisms of U.S. aid restructuring, asserting that moving foreign assistance under the State Department made the response more efficient.
• ▪International aid officials criticized the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for aid cuts and dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development prior to the outbreak.
• ▪The U.S. State Department commended Uganda for taking swift and decisive measures to contain the Ebola outbreak and limit its spread.
• ▪The United States is the largest financial contributor to the international Ebola response and has called on other development partners and donors to increase their contributions.

US travel restrictions controversy

• ▪The United States has imposed Level Four 'Do Not Travel' advisories and Ebola-related travel restrictions on travelers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.
• ▪U.S. authorities prohibit American citizens from traveling directly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States.

US citizen protection and quarantine measures

• ▪The United States faced legal challenges in Kenyan courts over the establishment of an Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya designated for U.S. citizens.
• ▪To protect its citizens during the outbreak, the U.S. Department of State established a 24-hour consular call center and provided financial assistance for Americans to adjust travel itineraries.