By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, June 11,2026 - The United States has announced an additional $20 million in funding to support Ebola response and preparedness efforts across East and Central Africa, intensifying a coordinated international push to contain the outbreak and strengthen surveillance systems in countries at risk.
The funding, announced by the U.S. Department of State in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), brings total direct State Department Ebola response funding to more than $220 million, underscoring Washington’s continued central role in global outbreak containment financing.
According to the official release, the support forms part of a broader interagency response involving the CDC, Department of Defense, and regional governments including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and neighboring states.
“The Department of State, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in partnership with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and other countries in the region, is continuing to mount a rapid and comprehensive response to the Ebola outbreak,” the statement read.
The additional $20 million will be directed toward preparedness activities in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan, focusing on strengthening national emergency operations, disease surveillance systems, testing capacity, border screening, infection prevention, and rapid response mechanisms.
This funding comes on top of $350 million already allocated for Ebola response and humanitarian assistance in the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda, as part of a wider $1.8 billion U.S. contribution to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on May 14.
“The United States continues to be the largest financial contributor to the Ebola response,” the Department said.
The announcement also highlights what Washington describes as a dual-track strategy: protecting domestic populations while simultaneously strengthening outbreak containment abroad.
Under the “Protecting Americans” framework, the State Department confirmed that it has issued guidance for U.S. citizens who may have been exposed to Ebola or who require assistance to leave affected countries, including the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda. Citizens abroad remain subject to health screening and travel regulations imposed by both U.S. and host governments.
U.S. embassies in affected regions are also continuing to issue travel and health advisories, while encouraging citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for real-time updates.
In the field, U.S.-funded response partners are actively engaged in a wide range of containment operations, spanning logistics, surveillance, treatment, and community engagement.
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The release details large-scale humanitarian and technical interventions, including the delivery of 150 metric tons of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies in the DRC by UNICEF, resources intended to support roughly 100,000 people for six months.
In Uganda, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has trained about 1,000 Village Health Teams to strengthen community-based surveillance, while in South Sudan more than 30,000 traveler screenings have been conducted at points of entry to improve early detection of potential cases.
In the DRC, U.S.-supported partners are also facilitating safe and dignified burials, decontamination teams, and community outreach programmes aimed at reducing misinformation and strengthening public trust in Ebola treatment systems.
“U.S.-funded implementers continue to support safe and dignified burials of deceased Ebola patients, a critical activity to reduce further transmission,” the statement noted.
Additional efforts include the deployment of mobile laboratories in outbreak zones such as Beni to expand diagnostic capacity, as well as logistical support to ensure uninterrupted testing services amid infrastructure constraints.
Health facilities supported by U.S. partners now include six dedicated Ebola treatment centers and 94 additional health centers providing screening, treatment, and referral services across affected regions.
The statement also highlights collaboration with private sector logistics partners, including Airlink, which has been facilitating the transport of critical medical supplies from Dubai to Entebbe before onward delivery into outbreak zones in the DRC.
While the funding injection underscores strong international mobilization, it also reflects the persistent challenge of managing Ebola outbreaks in regions where weak health infrastructure, cross-border movement, and community mistrust continue to complicate containment efforts.
For now, the additional funding signals both urgency and scale in the global response, where containment is no longer confined to outbreak zones, but extends across entire regional health and security systems.
As the response expands into Kenya and other neighboring countries, the focus is increasingly shifting from reaction to preparedness, in a bid to prevent localized outbreaks from escalating into wider regional health emergencies.