Ebola outbreak 2026: What is MSF doing and how can I help?

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), MSF teams are mobilising to help contain the sudden surge in Ebola cases.

We are leading experts in treating and containing Ebola. Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was on the frontline throughout the massive 2014-16 West Africa epidemic, and has responded to multiple outbreaks in the DRC alone.

So far, there are more than 900 suspected cases and 223 deaths reported in the DRC, with nine cases reported across the border in Uganda. The outbreak's epicentre is in the DRC's eastern province of Ituri. 

Unlike most previous Ebola disease outbreaks, this one is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. It kills up to 40 percent of those infected, making it less lethal than the more common Ebola virus. However, there is no approved vaccine and no approved treatment, so responding to this virus is particularly challenging.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern".

How can I help MSF?

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The latest: How is MSF responding to the Ebola disease outbreak?

MSF teams are often among the first humanitarian responders on the ground for one key reason: because we are already there. MSF has been working in the DRC since 1977, providing vital healthcare services through conflict, disaster and disease. 

Right now, we have hundreds of staff responding to the outbreak in eastern DRC. Our medical and logistics teams are working around the clock to prepare a large-scale emergency response, in collaboration with the Congolese health authorities. 

• On 9 May, MSF received alerts of deaths from a 'suspected viral haemorrhagic fever' spreading since the start of April. We sent a team to investigate with the Ministry of Health. We have since identified suspected cases in several cities and established temporary isolation units for affected patients.
   
• In Mongbwalu – currently considered the epicentre of the outbreak in Ituri – MSF has started building a 65-bed Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) for suspected and confirmed cases. Meanwhile, teams are supporting the General Referral Hospital of Mongbwalu through temporary isolation capacity, triage activities, reinforcement of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, epidemiological surveillance and health promotion activities. MSF is also supporting on safe and dignified burials. 
   
• Our teams rehabilitated and opened an 80-bed Ebola treatment centre in Goma city. We also established an isolation ward in Kyeshero Hospital and supported the training of staff.
   
• A first team of emergency responders arrived on 20 May with more people arriving and en route. These teams have started reinforcing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in more 20 health facilities.
   
• Additional medical staff have been recruited locally to reinforce the response, including doctors, nurses and hygienists working jointly with MSF and the Ministry of Health.
   
• Essential medical supplies and equipment are en route to affected areas from the capital Kinshasa, as well as Uganda and Europe. Personal protective equipment (PPE) – such as gloves, masks, goggles, gowns and protective boots – is essential. On 22 May, 8 tons of materials including PPE was dispatched from Kinshasa to Bunia. On 29 May 68 tons of materials were sent from Belgium. 
   
• In South Kivu, where several cases have been confirmed, MSF teams have started setting up two ETCs in Bukavu and Lwiro. At the same time, they are training health workers on IPC measures in both cities.
   
• Alongside medical activities, MSF medical, logistical and health promotion teams continue to engage with the community and conduct awareness raising activities.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a rare but deadly disease which can kill up to 90 percent of those infected. 

The most commonly known viruses within the Ebola disease genus are the Ebola virus, Sudan virus and  Bundibugyo virus. There is an approved treatment and a preventive vaccine for the Ebola virus. But the current Ebola outbreak reported in the DRC is caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. 

It can be difficult to diagnose because the early symptoms, like a fever and sore throat, are common. To confirm an Ebola diagnosis, special tests need to be carried out. These require test kits specific not to the disease itself, but to each individual virus in order to detect it. However, these test kits are currently in short supply for the Bundibugyo virus, which significantly slows down case confirmation and, consequently, the implementation of contact tracing and patient isolation. 

Ebola is highly infectious and can be transmitted from both animals and humans. Human-to-human transmission happens through close contact with blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids of infected individuals. This is why people have to wear full personal protective equipment to prevent catching or spreading the virus.

Medical teams can give patients the best chance of survival by helping to manage the symptoms of the virus, and treating other diseases the patient may have.

Once a patient recovers from Ebola, they’re immune to the form of the virus they contracted. 

Our experience: Responding to Ebola in the West Africa outbreak

Between late 2013 and 2016, an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa became a major international emergency. The severity of the epidemic saw MSF launch one of the largest emergency operations in its history.

MSF responded in the three most affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia – and also to the spread of cases to Nigeria, Senegal and Mali. 

At the peak of the epidemic, MSF employed nearly 4,000 local medical staff and more than 325 international staff who ran Ebola treatment centres, as well as conducted surveillance, contact tracing, health promotion and provided psychological support.

MSF admitted 10,310 patients to its Ebola management centres, of which 5,201 were confirmed Ebola cases, representing one-third of all WHO-confirmed cases.