The United Kingdom has allocated up to £20 million in new funding to help contain the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as international efforts intensify to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
The funding will support the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations, and international and non-governmental partners to respond rapidly to the outbreak by strengthening disease surveillance, supporting frontline health workers, improving infection prevention and control, and ensuring affected communities can access lifesaving care.
Most confirmed cases are currently concentrated in the Ituri region of eastern DRC, an area already grappling with significant humanitarian and security challenges.
Alongside the new funding, UK humanitarian partners are already on the ground supporting containment efforts. Through the Strategic Assistance for Emergency Response (SAFER) consortium, UK-backed interventions are being redirected to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene systems, provide personal protective equipment for frontline responders and communities, and strengthen Ebola containment measures.
The UK is also refocusing support to protect maternity facilities and assist civil society organisations in strengthening prevention and control efforts, including reducing the risk of birth complications and sexual violence during the outbreak.
On May 21, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care chaired a cross-government meeting to coordinate the UK’s response, including measures to protect British nationals overseas and deepen cooperation with international partners.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It is vital we act now to save lives – outbreaks like Ebola do not stop at borders, and neither can we. This outbreak is a stark reminder that global health threats require a global response.
“The UK is working hand-in-hand with partners – boosting much-needed funding but also sharing our technical expertise, to contain the outbreak, protect our security, and support those most at risk.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is also assessing travel routes into the UK from affected countries and working with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for Transport, and Border Force to ensure travellers are informed about Ebola symptoms and how to seek medical care if unwell.
The UK has updated its travel advisory, warning against all but essential travel to parts of the DRC.
UKHSA has additionally activated the Returning Workers Scheme to monitor the health of individuals travelling from the UK to affected areas for work, with organisations required to register deployed personnel.
Dr Mike Reynolds, Incident Director at UKHSA, said while the outbreak affecting the DRC and Uganda is serious, the risk to the UK population remains low, adding that systems are in place to manage any potential cases.
The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team remains on standby to deploy if requested by the DRC or Ugandan governments, WHO, or other partners on the ground.
The UK has a long-standing partnership with the DRC, supporting health system strengthening and outbreak response, including through the Supporting Health Emergency Response in DRC (SHER) programme, which has provided over £18 million since 2024 to tackle Ebola, Mpox, and cholera.
It also contributes to global health initiatives such as the Global Fund, Gavi, UNFPA, the World Bank, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, while supporting vaccine, treatment, and diagnostics research in collaboration with international partners.
