Support Community-Led Ebola Containment in Uganda

Dear Donor,

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become increasingly urgent. The country's Ebola outbreak has now surpassed 4,000 confirmed infections, with approximately 1,850 deaths reported, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak recorded globally and the largest known outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

While Uganda has successfully ended its own outbreak, communities across the border continue to face significant risks associated with population movement and the continuing transmission of Ebola in the DRC. This reality makes community-level preparedness and regional cooperation more important than ever.

Development Alert remains committed to strengthening the resilience of communities connected to the Uganda–DRC border. Our approach emphasizes practical interventions that communities can sustain, including health education, community surveillance, early-alert networks, hygiene promotion, and engagement with local leaders.

The experience of Uganda has demonstrated the value of acting quickly. Communities were mobilized to recognize warning signs, cooperate with contact tracing teams, support infection prevention, and communicate health concerns promptly. These lessons are now particularly valuable as communities in the DRC confront a much larger outbreak.

The crisis is also being complicated by conflict, gaps in surveillance, difficult access to affected populations, and shortages of specialized vaccines and treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

Your support can help ensure that vulnerable border communities remain informed and prepared. Every community volunteer trained, every household reached, and every prevention message shared contributes to stronger regional health security while Uganda's success is protected.