Ebola in DR Congo: A crisis within a crisis

According to NTB, the Congolese authorities have so far confirmed more than 1,000 Ebola cases and 277 deaths. The true figures are likely higher, as many cases go unreported. Conflict, large-scale population movements and limited government control are making contact tracing and humanitarian response efforts particularly challenging.

So far this year, Norway has allocated nearly NOK 95 million for humanitarian assistance in the DRC.

In addition, Norway has contributed NOK 100 million to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and NOK 25 million to the Red Cross Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Around ten per cent of CERF's funding and seven per cent of DREF's funding comes from Norway.

– This is a serious situation. There are neither medicines nor vaccines available for this strain of Ebola, and there is currently no rapid test. The most vulnerable people are at greatest risk. The severe humanitarian situation in the region, where more than 26 million people are facing acute food insecurity, makes people even more vulnerable, says Gunn Jorid Roset, Director General of Norad.

The outbreak has developed rapidly, and the Congolese authorities say the peak of the outbreak has not yet been reached.

Health systems in eastern DRC were already under severe strain. Between January 2025 and April 2026, more than 94,500 suspected cholera cases and over 2,700 deaths were recorded, with North and South Kivu among the hardest-hit provinces. At the same time, the region is also facing outbreaks of measles and mpox.

Local Red Cross and Red Crescent societies

Norway is supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) regional emergency appeal for Ebola in Central and East Africa because the organisation can mobilise rapidly through its national societies in the DRC, Uganda and other neighbouring countries at risk of further transmission. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is already present on the ground, with established structures and extensive volunteer networks in the affected areas.

– The IFRC is particularly well placed to respond in this situation. It can mobilise quickly through national societies, volunteers and existing structures, and has both a strong local presence and access to vulnerable communities. That is crucial in an outbreak where trust, local engagement and rapid action can make the difference between containing the disease and losing control, says Martin Samuelsen, Head of the Section for Humanitarian Assistance at Norad.

Norway's support will contribute to life-saving activities including risk communication and community engagement, community-based surveillance, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention and control, and psychosocial support.

The Norwegian Red Cross is contributing NOK 4.3 million from its flexible funding, which can be used wherever the needs are greatest when acute crises occur.

Spread to neighbouring countries

Concerns about further spread remain high. Uganda and Rwanda have closed their borders with the DRC. Cases have now been confirmed in Uganda in addition to the DRC, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak. Uganda has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths.

WHO warns against border closures, noting that people are likely to cross through unofficial routes regardless, increasing the risk of undetected transmission. The border between the DRC and Uganda stretches for 870 kilometres and includes numerous informal crossing points outside official border posts. Cross-border trade is extensive.

To help detect and contain the outbreak before it spreads further, the emergency appeals also include support to Red Cross societies in Uganda, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda.

South Sudan has not reported any cases so far but is considered a high-risk country because of its porous borders, fragile health system and limited capacity for infection prevention and control.

Rapid mobilisation

Norad’s health partners are mobilising quickly. The African Union’s public health agency, Africa CDC, is coordinating closely with WHO and national authorities on surveillance and cross-border preparedness, while the vaccine alliances Gavi and CEPI are working to advance relevant vaccine candidates. The Global Fund and Unitaid are supporting testing, laboratory capacity and the development of diagnostics.

This demonstrates the value of Norad’s long-term support to global health partners: they build capacity before a crisis emerges, making it possible to respond rapidly when acute health emergencies arise.

WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies

Since 2022, Norway has contributed NOK 190 million to the World Health Organization's Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE). Over the past three years, Norway has contributed NOK 50 million annually. The fund allows resources to be released within a very short timeframe, often within 24 hours, before additional financing becomes available.

WHO has already allocated USD 3.9 million from the fund to support the response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. The funding supports early and critical measures such as contact tracing, laboratory analysis, logistics, medical treatment and coordination of response efforts.

Rapid response during the early stages of an outbreak is crucial to limiting transmission and reducing illness and loss of life.

– Time is critical during outbreaks of infectious diseases. WHO’s emergency fund makes it possible to act immediately, before the situation escalates further, says Roset.

Norwegian partner organisations contribute

Save the Children will allocate NOK 4.3 million from its flexible funding to infection prevention efforts in Ituri Province, the area hardest hit by the outbreak and where Ebola was confirmed on 15 May. According to Save the Children, this latest allocation will make it easier to respond flexibly as the situation evolves, protect children's wellbeing and support communities where needs have increased.

Norwegian Church Aid is also scaling up its response, allocating NOK 3 million in flexible funding to Ebola response efforts in eastern DRC. The programme will support infection prevention through water, sanitation and hygiene measures, hygiene education, support to health facilities and mobilisation of religious leaders and local partners in North and South Kivu, with the aim of reaching more than 25,000 people directly.

The Norwegian Refugee Council is allocating NOK 10 million from its flexible funding for humanitarian activities in Ituri Province.

A deadly disease

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. During recent major outbreaks, up to half of those infected have died.

People who have died from Ebola remain infectious, placing close family members at particular risk. This makes safe and dignified burials a vital part of the response.

Norway is the largest contributor to WHO’s emergency fund

In 2025, Norway was the largest contributor to the CFE, providing more than 46 per cent of the fund’s total contributions.

Support to the CFE forms part of Norway’s broader commitment to strengthening health services in humanitarian crises.

In 2025, this effort amounted to approximately NOK 657 million and included support to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, UN agencies and other humanitarian partners.