Africa Urged to Self-fund Ebola Response as Outbreak Escalates

WHO:

Al Jazeera - Marie Roseline Belizaire, WHO emergency director

Al Jazeera - Desire Grodya Bapi, camp spokesperson

Al Jazeera - Caritas, aid organization

Al Jazeera - Congolese authorities

Al Jazeera - African Union member states

Al Jazeera - China and Uganda, sending medical teams

WHAT:

Al Jazeera - The Ebola outbreak has killed 232 people and infected 896 others in the DRC.

Al Jazeera - Seventeen medics have died from Ebola in the DRC.

Al Jazeera - More than 70 healthcare workers have contracted the virus since the outbreak was declared.

Al Jazeera - The outbreak is spreading through 31 health zones in the DRC.

Al Jazeera - Uganda has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths related to the outbreak.

ABC News Health - African officials are urged to invest in their own Ebola response and vaccine development.

Al Jazeera - At least 30 people have died in Kigonze camp, with symptoms linked to Ebola.

WHERE:

Al Jazeera - The outbreak is primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.

Al Jazeera - Kigonze camp in Bunia, Ituri province, is the epicenter of the outbreak.

Al Jazeera - More than five million displaced people are in eastern DRC.

WHEN:

Al Jazeera - The outbreak was formally announced on May 15.

Al Jazeera - The death toll was confirmed on a Friday.

WHY:

Al Jazeera - Aid cuts and poor sanitation are deepening fears of Ebola's spread.

Al Jazeera - The DRC has one of the world’s lowest ratios of healthcare workers to population, with about 11 health workers for every 10,000 people.

Al Jazeera - Funding cuts have made the emergency more dangerous, with reduced support for water, hygiene, and sanitation programs.

HOW:

Al Jazeera - Basic protective equipment remains in short supply, with facilities struggling to secure gloves, masks, and other essentials.

Al Jazeera - The WHO is providing psychological support to medics who fear treating patients after seeing colleagues fall sick.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 23:21 UTC)

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed 232 lives and infected 896 others, with the situation worsening as it spreads through 31 health zones. In Kigonze camp, the epicenter of the outbreak, at least 30 people have died with symptoms linked to the virus, while Uganda has reported 19 cases and two deaths. The World Health Organization is stepping in to provide psychological support to healthcare workers, who are facing severe shortages of protective equipment and are grappling with the loss of 17 medics to the disease.