The U.S. Department of State said on Friday it is coordinating with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and international partners in response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, with committed assistance exceeding $162 million.
The department said U.S. funding is supporting outbreak containment efforts, including surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention, treatment capacity and border health screening in affected and at-risk countries.
It added that the United States has also channelled about $350 million through United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled funds to the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan for broader humanitarian support, alongside additional funding announced earlier in May. It said a further $50 million has been provided to OCHA’s Central Emergency Response Fund to support Ebola response operations, including the establishment of treatment clinics.
On regional coordination, the United States, Mexico and Canada issued a joint statement on May 28 announcing aligned public health travel measures for travellers from high-risk areas in Africa. The countries said the measures aim to strengthen disease screening while maintaining cross-border travel and commerce ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The State Department also issued a Worldwide Caution and updated health advisories for U.S. citizens, including enhanced screening requirements for travellers who have recently been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan.
In Uganda, the department reiterated a recommendation against travel and said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had updated its travel health notice to Level 2, advising enhanced precautions.
The U.S. said it is supporting partner agencies including UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Samaritan’s Purse, FHI 360 and International Medical Corps in implementing response activities.
These include delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies, expansion of border screening at airports and points of entry in the region, and scaling up contact tracing and community risk communication.
According to the department, UNICEF has distributed infection prevention supplies to dozens of health facilities in Uganda and deployed health workers and transport for contact tracing in the DRC. IOM is supporting screening operations at airports and border points in multiple countries in the region, while FHI 360 is assisting laboratory testing and sample transport.
International Medical Corps has established transit centres and an Ebola treatment unit, and is supporting infection prevention measures in dozens of health facilities, the department said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the outbreak response with Kenyan President William Ruto on May 28, and Washington said it intends to commit $13.5 million to support Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts.
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