UK commits $26.9 million as Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to Uganda

Britain is pouring up to $26.9 million (£20 million) into the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as fears grow that the deadly virus could spiral into another regional health emergency with global consequences.

• Britain has committed up to $26.9 million (£20 million) to contain the Ebola outbreak spreading through eastern DR Congo.
• The outbreak has already recorded 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with confirmed infections now detected in Uganda.
• The UK and US have both activated emergency response measures amid fears the crisis could spread beyond Central Africa.
• Health officials warn the outbreak could worsen in eastern Congo, where conflict and weak healthcare systems are complicating containment efforts.

The outbreak, centred in eastern Congo’s volatile Ituri province, has already recorded 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, according to the latest figures released Wednesday.

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Laboratory tests have confirmed 51 Ebola cases in Congo, while neighbouring Uganda has confirmed two infections, raising concerns about wider cross-border transmission in one of Africa’s most fragile regions.

The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is expected to continue growing.

For global health authorities, the crisis is more than a humanitarian emergency. It is also a test of how quickly governments can respond to deadly outbreaks in a region already destabilised by armed conflict, displacement, weak healthcare systems and worsening humanitarian conditions.

Britain’s new funding package will support the World Health Organization, UN agencies and humanitarian groups working to strengthen disease surveillance, protect frontline health workers, improve infection prevention and expand access to emergency care.

The UK government said part of the intervention will also help improve water and sanitation systems, deliver protective equipment and support maternity centres and vulnerable communities facing increased risks during the outbreak.

Most confirmed infections are concentrated in eastern Congo’s Ituri region, where insecurity has repeatedly complicated humanitarian operations and slowed emergency responses.

UK activates domestic protection measures

The outbreak has also triggered precautionary measures inside Britain itself.

The UK Health Security Agency is assessing routes used by travellers entering Britain from affected countries and has activated a monitoring programme for individuals travelling to outbreak zones for work.

British authorities have updated travel advice for parts of Congo, warning against all but essential travel to some affected areas.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the outbreak highlights how infectious diseases can rapidly become international security threats.

“It is vital we act now to save lives, outbreaks like Ebola do not stop at borders, and neither can we,” she said.

She added that Britain was combining emergency funding with technical expertise to help contain the virus and support vulnerable communities.

British health officials insist the immediate risk to the UK population remains low, but say the situation is being monitored closely.

US steps in as global concern grows

Britain’s intervention comes just days after the United States announced its own emergency response to the outbreak, underscoring growing international concern over Ebola’s return to Central Africa.

The U.S. government mobilised an initial $13 million in emergency foreign assistance to support surveillance, laboratory testing, risk communication, safe burials, border screening, and treatment operations in affected countries.

The US State Department recently confirmed that Washington had activated an interagency response involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USAID and other agencies to help Congo and Uganda contain the outbreak before it spreads further internationally.

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The renewed global mobilisation reflects painful lessons from West Africa’s devastating 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people and triggered billions of dollars in economic losses across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The latest outbreak is unfolding at a particularly fragile moment for Congo, a country that holds some of the world’s largest reserves of cobalt, copper and coltan, minerals critical to electric vehicle batteries, defence technology and global supply chains.

A prolonged health crisis in eastern Congo could further strain trade routes, humanitarian operations and investor confidence in a region already battling militia violence and geopolitical tensions.

Health experts warn that if the virus spreads into larger urban centres or more neighbouring countries, the economic and human costs could rise sharply.