Ebola Outbreak 2026: What you need to know
On 16 May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Just 10 days after the WHO first received alerts about a high-mortality outbreak of an unknown illness in Ituri Province, DRC, the situation has now been confirmed as a new Ebola outbreak with the potential to affect up to two million people. Here’s everything you need to know.
As of May 23, the World Health Organization has raised the public health risk from high to very high.
Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention names 10 at-risk countries: Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Our Emergency Response Fund directly supports urgent crises such as the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, and wherever humanitarian needs are greatest. Please donate today.
What is Ebola, and why is this strain so dangerous?
Ebola is a serious, often fatal illness caused by a collection of viruses that is spread from infected animals and person to person. It causes widespread symptoms including fever, pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, and impaired organ function.
While vaccines for some strains of the illness exist, this strain has no available vaccine or treatment and carries a very high fatality rate (30–50%).
According to Dr. Manenji Mangudu, Oxfam Country Director in the DRC:
“This outbreak is hitting a country already stretched to breaking point. Ongoing conflict and years of aid cuts have deepened a humanitarian crisis of staggering scale: one in four people are going hungry. Those same aid cuts left DRC effectively blind to Ebola, weakening the surveillance systems that should have detected this outbreak weeks earlier.”
Who is this Ebola crisis impacting?
There are currently over 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and 246 suspected deaths in the DRC. Initially detected in Bunia, the outbreak has spread to Mongbwalu, Butembo, Goma, and Katwa.
Seven cases of Ebola have also been detected in Uganda, with one confirmed death, raising concerns about undetected transmission elsewhere. The rapid spread, combined with an already fragile context marked by conflict, is a concern.
There is quite a lot of movement of people and trade between DRC and Uganda, as well as DRC and Rwanda, raising the risk of a larger outbreak.
The Oxfam DRC team believes that up to two million people, who are already facing gaps in basic needs, could be affected.
A large outbreak would also worsen the humanitarian situation for a region already impacted by conflict, cuts to humanitarian funding and high levels of poverty.
What is Oxfam doing to address this Ebola outbreak?
While there is currently no vaccine or treatment for this strain of Ebola, Oxfam is working to deliver public health promotion and support community-led solutions to break the chain of transmission.
This includes providing life-saving essentials like clean water, hygiene kits and education around this crisis to impacted communities, as hygiene and sanitation are key to curbing the spread. Oxfam will also be improving the health infrastructure.
Oxfam has prior experience responding to Ebola outbreaks and was in DRC during the 2014 and 2018 crises, providing life-saving support. We know how essential it is to intervene as soon as possible.
But despite the urgent need, funding cuts, including the cut of USAID, are hindering Oxfam’s ability to scale up its emergency response.
“This crisis is arriving at a moment of critically depleted humanitarian funding. Without urgent financial assistance, efforts to save lives risk being fatally undermined," said Dr. Manenji Mangudu.
How can I help support people impacted by the Ebola crisis?
By donating today, you can help address humanitarian crises such as the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. Our Emergency Response Fund ensures that Oxfam and our partners are able to respond quickly and efficiently to support communities that need immediate humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of emergencies.
Oxfam has a long history of responding to Ebola outbreaks, including the largest Ebola outbreak in history from 2014 to 2016. Years of frontline response have equipped us with the ability to act quickly, support affected communities and help prevent the spread of the disease.
Discover more stories
For more than two decades, the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) has worked to address the root causes of violence in Jamaica through community-based prevention programs grounded in evidence. Earlier this year, during International Development Week, we spoke with Colleen Wint Bond, a consultant and project coordinator with VPA, about the organization’s work and the growing challenges facing community organizations amid global aid cuts.
When Gideon wrote his will, it became something more than a legal document. It became a reflection of his priorities. "When I wrote my will, I felt that I wanted to keep supporting the work I've been doing for my whole life. That felt good."
