ATLANTA — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated $107 million in emergency funding to strengthen efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the agency said on Thursday, as health authorities warned that the number of infections continues to rise.
The funding will support international response operations and domestic preparedness measures, including disease surveillance, laboratory testing, infection-control programs, contact tracing and safe-burial initiatives, according to CDC officials. The agency said more than 125 personnel are working across the DRC and Uganda, with additional staff deployed to affected areas.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, was confirmed in May and has spread across multiple provinces in eastern Congo, with cases also reported in neighboring Uganda. The World Health Organization and national health authorities have described the outbreak as a major public health challenge because of insecurity, population movement and limited healthcare infrastructure in affected regions.
According to Reuters, the outbreak has resulted in hundreds of confirmed infections and more than 200 reported deaths in the two countries combined. Health officials cautioned that case figures continue to change as investigations and laboratory confirmations proceed.
CDC officials said the emergency funding was intended to accelerate containment efforts and reduce the risk of wider regional transmission. “The risk to the American public remains low,” the agency said in a statement, while emphasizing the need for sustained international action.
The agency said it is working closely with the health ministries of both countries, the World Health Organization, Africa CDC and other international partners. Response efforts include strengthening diagnostics, improving infection prevention and control procedures, supporting border-health programs and expanding community engagement campaigns.
Health workers have been among those affected by the outbreak. The World Health Organization said this week that dozens of medical personnel have contracted the virus since the outbreak began, highlighting the strain on healthcare systems already facing shortages of protective equipment and other resources.
International agencies have also raised concerns about funding gaps. Africa CDC said less than 10% of more than $900 million pledged by donors for Ebola response efforts had been disbursed as of this week, despite growing needs on the ground.
The CDC said the new funding would support both immediate containment operations and preparedness measures in the United States. Officials noted that no Ebola cases linked to the current outbreak have been reported in the United States, but the agency remains in regular contact with state and local health authorities.
As of Friday, response operations continued in the DRC and Uganda, with health agencies urging additional international support while working to contain transmission and monitor potential cross-border spread.
