UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocated $8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help Burundi and South Sudan prepare for potential Ebola spread, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on June 25, 2026. The funds will support enhanced surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, and infection prevention and control in both countries, which face risks of cross-border transmission.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs detailed that the CERF funding will enable rapid detection, investigation and containment of any imported Ebola Virus Disease cases. It will also help protect health workers, maintain essential health services and prevent community transmission in high-risk border areas. OCHA noted that the allocation addresses vulnerabilities in nations neighboring areas with recent Ebola activity.
Burundi and South Sudan share borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Ebola outbreaks have occurred in recent years, according to UN data. The preparedness measures aim to mitigate risks in communities near these borders. Health authorities in the region have heightened monitoring following past cross-border threats.
This funding forms part of wider international efforts, as an Africa CDC weekly briefing on June 18, 2026 indicated more than $910 million in Ebola-related pledges had been announced at a regional heads of state meeting while less than $90 million had been released. The gap highlights the need for accelerated disbursement to support ongoing response activities. Similar CERF allocations have previously targeted Ebola readiness in South Sudan and other at-risk countries.
The United States has provided substantial support to the regional Ebola response, with the State Department raising its contribution to $220 million by mid-June 2026, according to U.S. Embassy announcements in Bujumbura. This includes nearly $38 million announced on June 5 for efforts in Burundi and neighboring nations. Additional U.S. funding has supported humanitarian assistance across the DRC, South Sudan and Uganda.
UN OCHA statements placed the emphasis on pre-positioning resources to avoid larger outbreaks that could strain limited health infrastructure in Burundi and South Sudan. The two countries maintain active surveillance systems that the new funding will reinforce. Laboratory upgrades form a core element of the approved activities.
Earlier Ebola responses in the region, including during the 2018-2020 outbreak in the DRC, demonstrated the effectiveness of timely preparedness funding in limiting international spread, World Health Organization historical records show. That outbreak resulted in more than 2,000 confirmed deaths before it was declared over. The current allocation seeks to apply lessons from those experiences to current risks.
