Switzerland Steps In as Ebola Outbreak Overwhelms Eastern Congo

By Brian Kiprono - Reporter

DRC, 26 May 2026 - Switzerland has released emergency funding worth more than $3.8 million to help contain the fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and mass displacement are making it harder for health workers to stop the virus.

The support comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the outbreak is spreading faster than response efforts, with hundreds of suspected infections already reported across eastern Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) said the funds would support emergency medical teams, disease surveillance and frontline health services in some of the worst-hit areas.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus,” the agency said.

Unlike previous Ebola strains, the Bundibugyo virus currently has no approved vaccine or treatment, increasing pressure on already stretched health systems in the conflict-hit region.

Swiss authorities said more than 900 suspected cases have so far been recorded, including 100 confirmed infections and at least 220 suspected deaths.

The outbreak has mainly affected Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, regions already struggling with armed violence, displacement and weak healthcare infrastructure.

“This region is plagued by armed conflict, with significant population displacements facilitating the spread of the virus and complicating the delivery of aid,” the statement added.

More than two million Swiss francs will go directly to the WHO to help coordinate emergency medical teams and strengthen laboratory support and technical expertise on the ground.

Another 500,000 francs will support maternal and child health programmes in North and South Kivu, including epidemiological monitoring, prevention efforts and case management.

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An additional 400,000 francs has been allocated to Medair to support infectious disease prevention and control projects in affected communities.

Switzerland also plans to deploy two specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit to support United Nations agencies responding to the outbreak.

The WHO declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on May 17 after confirmed cases emerged outside the initial outbreak zone.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned earlier this week that “the outbreak is progressing faster than we are,” even as international response efforts continue to intensify.

Health officials say the situation remains particularly worrying because the outbreak is unfolding in densely populated and insecure areas where access to communities is difficult and misinformation remains widespread.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has already warned that several neighbouring countries, including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan, remain at risk of imported infections.

Despite concerns over regional spread, WHO maintains that the global risk remains low for now, although surveillance and preparedness measures have been stepped up across East and Central Africa.