The European Commission has announced €15 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The funding is intended to strengthen emergency operations, improve preparedness, and reinforce prevention efforts in affected regions.
The outbreak response includes rapid deployment measures coordinated through EU humanitarian channels. A Humanitarian Air Bridge operation, organized in cooperation with UNICEF, is set to transport nearly 100 tonnes of essential supplies to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. These supplies include medicines, protective equipment, infection-control materials, tents, and other critical resources needed by frontline health teams.
The European Union emphasized that safeguarding public health remains a priority, noting that infectious diseases require coordinated international action because they can spread beyond national borders. The funding is also part of a broader regional support package, with €101.9 million allocated for emergency humanitarian assistance in the region for 2026.
In addition to immediate response measures, the EU’s strategy builds on earlier investments in disease surveillance and research. Prior support has contributed to identifying virus strains, improving Ebola tracking systems, and accelerating testing and sequencing efforts in collaboration with African partners.
The European Union has also invested in long-term preparedness through funding to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, aimed at advancing research on vaccines for high-risk viruses, including filoviruses. Additional funding has been directed toward improving clinical trial readiness for vaccines and treatments, strengthening global capacity to respond to future outbreaks.
The latest allocation underscores a dual approach that combines emergency humanitarian relief with long-term investment in vaccine research, surveillance systems, and global health security infrastructure.
