The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a joint $518 million continental response plan aimed at containing the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, which has become the fourth-largest Ebola outbreak on record, as reported by Reuters and CNBC Africa. The six-month strategy will run from June to November 2026 and focuses on supporting affected countries while strengthening preparedness across the region.
The plan is designed to help the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda contain ongoing outbreaks while assisting neighboring countries in preparing for potential cases through enhanced border screening, surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention, clinical care, and community engagement. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is spreading quickly and requires sustained political commitment, financing, and public trust to bring it under control.
According to Africa CDC and WHO, the response plan follows a unified “One Response” approach that brings together governments, health agencies, humanitarian organizations, and local communities. The initiative also aims to strengthen health systems, improve cross-border coordination, and ensure that ongoing responses to diseases such as mpox, cholera, and measles are not disrupted while Ebola containment efforts intensify.
As of early June, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reported hundreds of confirmed cases and dozens of deaths, while cases have also been detected in Uganda. Health authorities warn that rapid implementation of the new funding plan will be critical to preventing further spread across the region.
