U.S EXTENDS HUMANITARIAN AND HEALTH ASSISTANCE TOWARDS TACKLING EBOLA OUTBREAK

 By Umar Weswala

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance,
Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom Jeremy Lewin
The Trump administration through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lead agency for the U.S. Government response to health emergencies has made response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a top priority and pledged millions of dollars towards humanitarian and health interventions.

Within 48 hours of confirmation of cases, the Department of State activated a response plan and mobilized an initial $23 million in foreign assistance for immediate response efforts. According to a media release issued by the office of the spokesperson, this funding will bolster each country’s own response, supporting surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk communication, safe burials, entry and exit screening, and clinical case management.

The U.S also announced a broad commitment to rapidly support the response by funding up to 50 treatment clinics in Ebola-affected regions of the DRC and Uganda to strengthen outbreak containment, expand access to care, and ensure critical resources reach the most affected communities.

“Healthcare and humanitarian workers heading to the frontline should know that the United States supports them and is swiftly mobilizing all available resources to assist frontline providers and response efforts” the Department of State Spokesperson stated in a media release.

On May 23rd, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom Jeremy Lewin announced additional $50 million towards the response emergency find.

“The United States continues to work closely with @UN and @UNReliefChief on the response to the Ebola outbreak in the DRC. @StateDept is pleased to contribute an immediate $50 million towards the response emergency fund. Plus, our recently announced second tranche of funding to @UNOCHA’s pooled funds includes $300 million in broader lifesaving funding for the DRC and Uganda—which will be critical for scaling up infrastructure and ensuring a holistic humanitarian response” Jeremy Lewin shared on X.

Shortly after the confirmation of the first Ebola cases, the Trump administration activated an Ebola Response Task Force, integrating expertise across the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response (DHR), Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), Bureau of Medical Services (MED), the CDC, and additional interagency partners.

The Department of State also announced that it was deploying a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to the DRC to support on-the-ground coordination with host governments and humanitarian partners.

So far, 101 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, including 10 confirmed deaths.

On May 25th, Uganda reported two additional confirmed cases among healthcare workers, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to seven, including one confirmed death.

The Director General of World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus fears for the worst especially in the DRC where he believes that the epidemic is much larger with more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths.

“We are continuing to scale up the response with our partners, and we expect more cases to be identified in the coming days and weeks. The sooner we can trace people with infections and identify their contacts, the sooner we can provide the care they need and bring this outbreak under control” Tedros.

The Trump administration says it is leading donor coordination efforts in regional capitals, working closely with the UN, European Union, the United Kingdom, and other international partners to ensure a coordinated and effective response.

“American leadership remains indispensable in confronting global health threats. The United States will continue to protect American citizens, support affected communities, and marshal international action to contain this outbreak quickly, decisively, and effectively” Department of State Media Note. 

On May 18, 2026, the U.S government issued the Title 42 order prohibiting travel to the United States for foreign nationals who have visited the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan within the last 21 days.  

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