A growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa is threatening vulnerable communities already facing conflict, displacement and poverty.
The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a strain for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved treatment.
Families are living with fear and uncertainty as communities struggle to contain the spread of disease.
The outbreak began in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Ituri province before spreading into additional health zones in North Kivu. Cases have now been identified in Kampala, Uganda, raising concerns about further regional spread.
The epidemic is unfolding in regions already experiencing:
More than one million internally displaced people are already living in affected regions, increasing the risk of transmission and making emergency response even more difficult.
Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks linked to the Zaire strain, the current Bundibugyo strain does not yet have an approved vaccine or treatment available.
The estimated fatality rate ranges between 30% and 50%.
Humanitarian teams are also facing major challenges, including:
ADRA teams in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are actively responding to the Ebola outbreak through emergency health, hygiene, and community engagement initiatives designed to help slow the spread of disease and protect vulnerable families.
ADRA’s response is focused on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) support and prevention measures designed to reduce transmission in busy public spaces and along major trade corridors, including:
Containing Ebola requires more than medical intervention alone. Fear, misinformation, and distrust can prevent families from seeking care or reporting symptoms early. ADRA’s trusted local presence allows teams to work directly with communities to promote prevention measures, strengthen awareness, and support faster response efforts where they are needed most.
Your support helps ADRA respond quickly with practical assistance, trusted community outreach, and life-saving prevention efforts in communities facing fear, illness, and uncertainty.
When disease spreads, fear spreads too.
Parents fear for their children. Communities fear infection. Families fear losing loved ones.
But compassion can spread too.
Your support helps ADRA deliver practical care, trusted information, and emergency response to communities facing one of the world’s most dangerous diseases.
Your gift to the Restoring Hope in Humanity campaign helps support flexible humanitarian response wherever needs emerge, including:
Because crises can strike at any time.
And when they do, rapid response saves lives.
Together, we can help communities face fear with hope.
Donate today to help ADRA respond to urgent humanitarian crises around the world.
