Without full protective equipment, on-site medical staff are putting themselves at significant risk. It is missing in large parts of the affected areas. Image: keystone
Reported Ebola cases from the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to rise. The USA recently promised additional aid for the Central African country. At the same time, experts see a connection between the aid cuts under Donald Trump’s administration and the weakened local Ebola defenses.
May 22, 2026, 5:18 p.mMay 22, 2026, 5:18 p.m
After WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared an international public health emergency last Sunday due to the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, concerns about the local spread of the disease are growing. The number of confirmed cases continues to rise; the WHO now reports 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
The situation is considered particularly difficult because the worst-affected rural region of Ituri has a weak health infrastructure. Meanwhile, armed clashes between rival groups are causing major population movements and making access for medical helpers extremely difficult.
In addition, the rare Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus was detected in the confirmed cases. A variant for which there is currently neither treatment nor vaccination. Preventive protective measures are therefore particularly central to the fight against the spread of the virus in order to prevent further infections.
USA is one of the most important donors in the region
In addition to comprehensive educational work, comprehensive testing capacities for the early detection of infections are among the most important protective measures. It is also crucial to protect medical staff who are in direct contact with sick or deceased people. International aid organizations make an indispensable contribution to establishing and maintaining appropriate structures, providing personnel and procuring sufficient quantities of protective equipment.
The USA and USAID were among the most important and at times the largest international donors to Ebola prevention and control in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Because Trump, as one of his first acts in office, massively cut these funds at the beginning of last year or even canceled them entirely.
Various local health experts, former employees of US aid organizations and voices from US politics are now saying that these cuts are partly responsible for the recent spread of the Ebola virus in Congo-Kinshasa.
“Cuts put the region in a dangerous situation”
The NGO International Rescue Committee (ICR), which works in the areas of health care, disease control and crisis response in Congo, writes in a media release:
“The cuts in funding have put the region in a dangerous situation. The sharp increase in reported cases in recent days reflects the reality that surveillance systems are only now picking up on transmission, which has likely been occurring for some time.”
The NGO itself is now affected by these cuts; before the cuts, the ICR operated in the outbreak region in five different so-called health zones, i.e. administratively defined areas in which basic medical care is guaranteed. After the cuts, only two such health zones could be maintained.
Foreign aid for the Democratic Republic of Congo cut by 98 percent
According to calculations by the Washington Post The US government spent $1.4 billion on foreign aid in Congo in 2024. The following year, that amount dropped to $430 million. In the current year, US support still amounts to a total of $24 million. That’s a 98.4 percent decrease in financial aid.
In addition to the dissolution of the development agency USAID and significant funding cuts at the national health authority CDC, Donald Trump’s government has also withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We are incredibly understaffed at all levels,” says an expert from the national health authority CDC, who is involved in the US aid that is now rolling out to the Congoto the news channel CNN. In the last year and a half, numerous experts have been laid off or retired without their positions being filled.
Government denies allegations and announces aid mission
Meanwhile, a senior US State Department official told CNN that the Trump administration’s cuts have not affected the fight against the outbreak. Even before the cuts, there were no USAID programs in Ituri province in northeastern Congo. This is confirmed by a former USAID official who himself worked in Congo, but adds: “Even if there were no programs in Ituri province, USAID could still have served as a link to coordinate health authorities, NGOs and donors.”
This week the US State Department announced that it would operate 50 treatment clinics in the affected areas. In addition, $23 million in direct aid would be transferred to Congo and Uganda. The money will be used to supply the health centers with urgently needed protective equipment. Previously, before the cuts, these facilities already had adequate supplies, the International Red Cross told CNN.
Ebola prevention “accidentally” canceled
The recent Ebola outbreak is not the first time that the role of the USA and its cuts in aid funds in the affected region have become an issue. After several cases of Ebola became known in Uganda in early 2025, USAID employees criticized Donald Trump’s government’s freezing of aid funds early on. Elon Musk was responsible for this at the time with his “Authority for Government Efficiency DODGE” created by Trump. The tech billionaire admitted this accusation to a certain extent by explaining in a cabinet meeting that funds for Ebola prevention had been “inadvertently” cut. However, the authority quickly corrected this, as Musk explained in a video from the meeting.
The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, was instrumental in the cuts in international cooperation. Youtube: PB’s newsho
However, according to a US embassy official in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, only two of four support contracts have been resumed. The unrecovered funds would have been the majority of USAID aid, like the embassy employee told the New York Times.
A USAID official expressed concern about regional disease surveillance in the same article: “Due to the halt in construction and the termination of funding contracts, there are no more programs, so the future prospects are worrisome.” A worry that, in retrospect, seems like a prophecy.