GOAL Monitoring Ebola Emergency in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda

GOAL is closely monitoring the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, following the World Health Organization’s decision to declare the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, was first confirmed in Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the situation remains most severe. Confirmed cases have now also been reported in Uganda among people who had travelled from DRC, giving the outbreak a clear regional dimension and reinforcing the need for strong cross-border surveillance, community engagement and preparedness.

While WHO has said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, it has warned of significant uncertainty around the true number of infections and the geographic spread of the disease. Countries sharing land borders with DRC are considered at heightened risk because of trade, travel and population movement.

GOAL has been working in Uganda since 1979 and currently supports communities through health, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, livelihoods and emergency preparedness programming. GOAL teams in Uganda have direct experience supporting Ebola preparedness and prevention, including training health workers and community volunteers on infection prevention and control, case identification and public health messaging during Uganda’s 2022 Ebola outbreak.

GOAL also brings significant experience from the 2014 Ebola response in Sierra Leone, where the organisation supported communities and health systems during one of the world’s most serious Ebola crises. Across our work, GOAL’s focus remains on community-led prevention, trusted health information, safe hygiene practices and support to local systems before outbreaks escalate further.

GOAL teams will continue to monitor the situation closely and follow guidance from the Ugandan Ministry of Health, national authorities, the World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.