Aid Cuts Let Ebola Spread Undetected for 12 Years as Conflict Hinders Congo-Uganda Response
Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · May 19
Aid Cuts Let Ebola Spread Undetected for 12 Years as Conflict Hinders Congo-Uganda Response
11 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · May 19
Experts told the World Health Assembly that deep foreign aid cuts let Ebola spread undetected in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, worsening the latest regional response.
Ongoing conflict has also hampered efforts to build resilient health services, leaving both countries less able to detect and contain outbreaks quickly.
At the Geneva meeting, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the region has lived with Ebola for 12 years and cast global health funding as both a security and justice issue.
The warning lands as health leaders grapple with how to sustain global health financing after funding cuts from the United States and other donors.
With aid cuts fueling an Ebola crisis, can new bilateral health deals prevent the next pandemic before it starts?
With the US reducing its global health role, which nations will now lead the fight against deadly outbreaks?
A new Ebola strain has no vaccine. How will the world fight a deadly pandemic with no modern medical tools?
Deadly Ebola Bundibugyo Outbreak in DRC and Uganda: 8 Confirmed, 80 Suspected Deaths, No Vaccine, and Global Response Challenges
Overview
In May 2026, Central Africa faced a rapidly escalating Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus. The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported dozens of confirmed and suspected cases, with many deaths in Ituri Province. The outbreak quickly crossed borders, with confirmed cases and a death in Uganda. Africa’s top public health authority and the WHO Director-General expressed deep concern about the speed and scale of the epidemic. In response, authorities in both countries were urged to activate emergency measures, enhance contact tracing, and strengthen laboratory testing to contain the spread.