The EU is supporting the emergency response to the outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, officially declared on the 4 September 2025 by the Congolese ministry of health. With 42 deaths recorded out of 64 cases, the current outbreak has a fatality rate of around 66%. The most urgent priorities on the ground are establishing access to the extremely remote areas and providing health response by medical experts trained in Ebola-specific equipment to help curb the spread of the virus.
The EU through its Emergency Response Coordination Centre has mobilised a diverse response package, including:
- deploying a specially equipped helicopter as part of the EU Humanitarian Air Flight operation
- delivering a temporary office and accommodation set-up in the most affected Bulape province, hosting 36 healthcare experts for 3 months
- €1.8 million in emergency humanitarian funding to strengthen the first response on the ground by our humanitarian partners
- 2 experts from Norway trained in medical evacuations and patient isolation to be deployed as members of WHO response and coordination team via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism
The EU humanitarian aid office in Kinshasa is closely monitoring developments and is liaising with its humanitarian partners on the ground to ensure rapid response in case of further transmission.
The EU’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has made tackling deadly filoviruses like Ebola and Marburg a top priority. In 2023, HERA signed a €7.4 million contract with the World Health Organization (WHO) to support clinical trials for the development of new vaccines and treatments. Through Horizon Europe, HERA is supporting several projects worth €36 million to develop early-stage therapeutics and rapid diagnostics, with more medical countermeasures being considered.
