Response to Ebola Outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda

How is the World Bank Group responding to the Ebola Outbreak?

The World Bank Group is responding swiftly to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Our goals are to: help save lives, contain the spread of disease, protect frontline health workers and communities, and preserve essential health services during the crisis.

Long before this strain appeared in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we were investing in laboratories, surveillance systems, and trained response teams. Today, we are drawing on existing health projects, our investments in health preparedness - and the financing tools built specifically for emergencies - to help countries contain the outbreak more rapidly and protect vulnerable communities.Mobilizing financing and technical support

Commitment to Resilient Health Systems

This outbreak is also a reminder of why resilient health systems matter.

A disease with a high mortality rate and no approved vaccine or treatment, spreading in a fragile, conflict-affected area, does not pause - and neither can we. We are working to contain this outbreak and save lives, to protect essential health services throughout the emergency, and to strengthen the systems that will determine how the next crisis unfolds.

The World Bank Group is committed to reaching 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health services by 2030 by mobilizing the public and private sectors together - strengthening health financing, expanding the health workforce, scaling primary care, and boosting local manufacturing of medicines and supplies. That ambition requires resilient health systems that are strong enough to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies.

Mobilizing financing and technical support

The World Bank Group is mobilizing financing and technical support to reinforce frontline response efforts, to support surveillance and cross-border preparedness, and to strengthen health systems. This includes support for laboratory capacity, disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, and other core public health functions needed to contain outbreaks quickly and effectively.

Even amid a public health emergency, children still need vaccines. Mothers still need care. People still need access to clinics. So as the Ebola response continues, we are also helping protect basic health services.

Supporting Impacted Countries

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

A long-term partner in building DRC's health emergency infrastructure, the World Bank Group has supported the response since before this outbreak began.

• The Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPRR) Project is financing the deployment of Ministry of Health specialists to the field - epidemiologists, infection prevention and control experts, and risk communication teams - and supporting diagnostic equipment and laboratory experts to expand testing capacity in Bunia. A separate nutrition and health project is protecting maternal, newborn, and immunization services during the emergency across more than 3,500 health facilities.
• Through the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project, we helped establish the largest biosafety-level laboratory in Eastern DRC-now the central testing hub in the heart of the outbreak zone. The lab is fully operational and actively testing for Ebola.
• DRC's national response is being coordinated from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Kinshasa, which was rehabilitated four years ago with World Bank funding through REDISSE. A warehouse in the same building holds stockpiles of emergency supplies, pre-positioned for exactly this kind of crisis.

Uganda

The World Bank Group has supported Uganda through previous outbreaks and is mobilizing support to help contain this one. We are working closely with national authorities and partners to assess evolving needs and identify options to reinforce the country's response.

Regional and cross-border preparedness

Because the risk of cross-border transmission is acute, the World Bank Group is also helping countries in the region strengthen surveillance, screening, and outbreak readiness.

In South Sudan, the Ministry of Health has deployed surveillance teams to border areas and is working with WHO-contracted under an ongoing World Bank project- to strengthen preparedness and ramp up Ebola response activities. Other neighboring countries are also activating preparedness measures, and the WBG is supporting these efforts alongside governments and development partners.

Financing Tools for Health Emergencies

Flexible funding arrangements allow countries to reallocate and access emergency financing more quickly in times of crisis. This outbreak underscores the importance of having these options pre-positioned.

• The WBG Crisis Response Toolkit includes the Rapid Response Option, which allows countries to repurpose existing portfolio funds without new approvals; pre-arranged contingent financing; and catastrophe insurance mechanisms that mobilize private capital.
• The Crisis Response Window provides additional concessional financing for countries responding to major emergencies. We are actively exploring options under both mechanisms to support a robust response.

The Pandemic Fund

The Pandemic Fund, hosted by the World Bank, is the first multilateral financing mechanism dedicated specifically to strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities in low- and middle-income countries.

In response to this outbreak, the Pandemic Fund is mobilizing grant financing to support urgent response efforts, strengthen preparedness, and enhance cross-border coordination across affected and at-risk countries. These resources are being deployed to expand disease surveillance, reinforce laboratory systems and testing capacity, and strengthen the health workforce, with priorities and implementation modalities determined and driven by countries and regional entities.

The Global Financing Facility

The GFF's financing of $10 million will help sustain essential health services for women, children, and adolescents in DRC by ensuring continued access to primary health care and helping eliminate user fees. The intervention will enable the expansion to two affected provinces, with a focus on maintaining critical reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition services to protect maternal and child health outcomes and strengthen the overall outbreak response.

Access to medicines, vaccines and health products

The Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030), a partnership led by the World Bank Group, the African Union Commission, governments, and partners aims to expand access to essential medicines and health products by building sustainable regional manufacturing capacity across Africa.

Partners

We are coordinating closely with governments across the region and with partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Gavi, CEPI, and others. The Africa CDC, supported in part by World Bank funding, has been central to strengthening African countries' capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks, including this one.

Stay Updated

The situation is actively evolving. We are monitoring it closely and will continue to update this page as our response develops.

For more information on the World Bank Group's health work, visit:

• World Bank Health
• The Pandemic Fund
• The GFF
• The World Bank in DRC
• The World Bank in Uganda
• The World Bank in South Sudan