The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has allocated $107 million in emergency funds to combat an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as announced by officials on Thursday.
The DRC continues to experience a significant Ebola outbreak, which authorities described as requiring “immediate and robust intervention.” Despite this, officials emphasized that the global risk of spread remains low. Dr. Satish K. Pillai, CDC incident manager for the Ebola response, stated during a briefing that the outbreak now affects 31 health zones in the DRC and 31 cases in Kampala, Uganda.
Pillai highlighted that CDC personnel are actively deployed in both countries, with 23 field staff conducting disease investigations and 125 staff providing cross-border support. The agency also maintains regular communication with U.S. cities hosting the Fifa World Cup to monitor potential exposure risks. So far, local authorities have primarily managed health concerns typical of large-scale gatherings, such as heat-related illnesses.
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo viral disease (BVD), a rare zoonotic Ebola subtype. Historical outbreaks of this strain in the DRC and Uganda have reported mortality rates between 30% and 50%. As of June 15, the CDC documented 837 confirmed cases in the DRC and 19 in Uganda, with 198 fatalities.
African health authorities caution that without accelerated efforts, the outbreak could become the most severe on record, potentially lasting over a year at current transmission rates. This surpasses the previous worst outbreak from 2014–2016, which infected over 28,000 individuals and caused 11,000 deaths.
While transmission risk remains localized to the DRC and Uganda, the U.S. and 21 other countries have imposed travel restrictions on travelers from these regions. Critics argue such measures may disrupt outbreak response efforts. Challenges include shortages of personal protective equipment and logistical delays in transporting corpses.
The CDC’s funding will complement the approximately $910 million already pledged by donors, though less than 10% of this amount has been received, according to African health leaders. The agency’s priorities include containing the DRC and Ugandan outbreaks and preparing for potential domestic cases.
“Our focus is on controlling the outbreak in the DRC, managing the situation in Uganda, and ensuring we are prepared domestically in case of imported cases,” Pillai emphasized.”
