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A new Ebola outbreak — driven by the Bundibugyo strain — has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, triggering a public health emergency. What started as a serious concern has quickly escalated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has upgraded its risk level from high to very high, signaling a fast-moving crisis that’s still unfolding. The suffering has crossed borders, with confirmed deaths reported in Uganda, a stark reminder of how many surrounding communities are at risk.
Together with you, World Relief has been engaging with the deepening crisis. Here are three things to know about it:
- The Crisis is Growing Fast: Across the region, reports indicate that more than 900 people are suspected of having contracted the virus, while over 101 cases have been confirmed. There have also been more than 177 suspected deaths, although some reports suggest the actual number may be even higher.
- No Vaccine Means Prevention is Critical: What makes this outbreak particularly alarming is the absence of any approved vaccine or treatment for this specific strain. This strain of the Ebola virus is a highly contagious disease, claiming the lives of 30-50% of those it infects and without a widely available treatment, the only hope for survival lies in early supportive care and swift containment.
“With no cure available, prevention is the only way to save lives. Your support helps equip communities with the tools, knowledge and protection they urgently need.” — Lanre Williams-Ayedun, Senior Vice President, International Programs, World Relief
- The Displaced are Impacted: The virus spreads fastest among those already carrying the heaviest burdens such as displaced families and overcrowded communities. Right now, because of recent changes to foreign aid policies, the region does not have what it needs to adequately respond to this growing crisis. That’s why your partnership matters so much. World Relief and the local church are already there, already trusted and already moving. As the hands and feet of Christ, we will not stand at a distance.
- World Relief is Responding on the Ground: We have launched a multi-country response across the DR Congo, Burundi and South Sudan, bringing life-saving support directly to displaced families, health care workers and communities living in overcrowded and underserved settings. We have served in this region for decades, in the DR Congo since 2001, in Burundi since 2004 and in South Sudan since 1998, before the nation was even founded. That history means deep trust with local churches and community leaders.
HOW WORLD RELIEF IS RESPONDING TO THE EBOLA OUTBREAK
Stopping a contagious virus in this region requires more than medical intervention. In cultures where community and gathering are central to daily life, local church and faith leaders carry credibility. Through World Relief’s established church networks, trusted faith leaders are on the ground sharing accurate information, reducing fear, correcting misinformation and helping protect communities already facing some of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
World Relief’s primary response is centered in Ituri and North Kivu provinces in eastern DR Congo, where the outbreak is most active. Ituri is already home to significant humanitarian need, with thousands of families who fled violence in Goma now settled there, making the region especially vulnerable to rapid spread.
In Rwampara, a zone in Ituri directly affected by the epidemic, we have been on the ground long before this outbreak began, serving nearly 2,000 people through a network of 10 local partner churches. Building on that foundation, we plan to reach 80,000 people including 80 community health workers and volunteers and one regional health facility.
We are currently in the process of local registration for the response effort, which will provide the necessary approvals to begin addressing identified needs. The response centers on two priorities:
- Community Education and Engagement: World Relief is working with local communities, trusted churches and trained community health workers to distribute life-saving information to communities quickly. This means teaching people how to prevent infection, improving access to clean water and sanitation through soap distribution and running education campaigns to keep communities informed about health risks and how to stay safe in local communities.
- Strengthening Health Facilities: World Relief is providing local clinics with the medical supplies and protective equipment they need, such as an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) kit stocked with thermometers, hand sanitizer, gloves and personal protective equipment like masks and garments. By supporting health workers with targeted training to strengthen their capacity to care for those impacted by the virus and establishing disease tracing systems, we are working to support early detection and slow its spread. Additionally, improved hygiene and infection prevention practices in the clinics will ensure the continued delivery of primary healthcare services, including treatment of other illnesses and care for mothers and children.
World Relief is also making sure that critical information reaches communities impacted by the spread of the virus in the neighboring North Kivu Province, DR Congo. We are working hand in hand with national health authorities and local response teams in Ituri and North Kivu to keep efforts coordinated and leave no community behind.
In South Sudan and Burundi, border countries to DR Congo, we aren’t waiting for the outbreak to arrive. Awareness campaigns are already underway in refugee and displaced persons sites and health facilities are being equipped and staffed now so that anyone suspected of having Ebola can be identified and cared for immediately.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10
In disease outbreaks like this, early action is crucial. Before the virus spreads further, before more families are shattered, before already strained health systems are overwhelmed, the window to act is now.
With your partnership, World Relief and the local church can move quickly, equipping local leaders to carry life-saving information, providing protective supplies to health workers and walking alongside families before this crisis compounds the suffering so many in this region have already endured. This is the work God has prepared for us and we cannot do it alone.
Will you stand with the people impacted by this recent Ebola virus outbreak? And will you join us in prayer for the health workers, the pastors and the families navigating fear and uncertainty on the frontlines?