DRC Ebola response making progress, but more support urgently needed, Senior Ebola Coordinator says

Opening remarks at press briefing on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Julien Harneis, Senior Ebola Coordinator

Geneva, 15 September 2026

As delivered

It is great to be here. I will be heading back to Bunia tomorrow and to the areas affected by the Ebola epidemic, so it is very important to have this opportunity to engage with the press corps on what is happening.

This remains a deadly and massive epidemic. There is progress in some areas, but in others we continue to see cases increase. There is an integrated response, but we need to do more in areas with new transmission, and we need much greater international solidarity.

To describe the scale of the outbreak, we have cases in Bunia, in Ituri, and at the other end of the country in Sud-Ubangi. That is roughly the distance from Geneva to Dublin. The area in which there are cases or transmission spans two time zones. It takes two and a half hours to fly from one end of the epidemic to the other.

The affected areas are incredibly varied. There are major cities such as Kisangani, with a population of 1.5 million. There are conflict-affected areas, artisanal mining zones and sparsely populated areas near the border with South Sudan, where I was two weeks ago.

It is an extremely diverse and heterogeneous environment, and an incredibly difficult one in which to operate. In many areas, the roads are in terrible condition. These are not simply potholes. Trucks disappear into the mud. Access by small aircraft is also difficult in many places, and there has been violence against the response.

Most Congolese citizens fully support the response. Nonetheless, a small minority, generally young men, including some artisanal miners and motorcycle taxi drivers, have attacked aid workers and health facilities. It is a very difficult operating environment.

My friend and colleague Olivier [le Polain of the World Health Organization] will explain the epidemiology in greater detail, but we are seeing progress, particularly in the province of Ituri and specifically in the city of Bunia. Some areas are coming under control. However, in other places, including Butembo in North Kivu, the numbers are increasing.

This is such a vast epidemic that it is difficult to speak of a single outbreak. We are dealing with many different locations, and we must get the epidemiological response right in every one of them.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the response is the excellent coordination among Government leaders, as well as colleagues from the World Health Organization, UN agencies, NGOs and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is genuinely strong coordination, with everyone focused on the response and working in an innovative and integrated way. After many years working in humanitarian response, this is something that strikes me personally and that I am very pleased to see.

We have an integrated approach to expanding bed capacity in Ebola treatment centres. We started with around 900 beds and added 440 over the past month.

We did not think that would be possible. It happened only because UN agencies and NGOs came together with the Government.

There is similarly excellent coordination between the Government and UN agencies to control Ebola transmission along the Congo River.

This integration is not limited to the country. There is also international cooperation on post-exposure prophylaxis, therapies and, very soon, new vaccines that will be tested in clinical trials.

We therefore have cooperation and integration at both the national and international levels. That can make this response a success, if it is fully funded.

We have seen generous support from the United States and the United Kingdom. The European Union, Germany and many other Member States have also contributed, but we will need more.

We need funding for the Ebola response. The Government’s plan must be fully funded, and the World Health Organization must have the financing it needs to carry out its work.

We must also fund the wider humanitarian response. The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 49 per cent funded.

An Ebola epidemic makes conditions worse for all Congolese people in the affected areas. Hunger and food insecurity increase. Attendance at health centres falls. Maternal mortality rises. Treatment is interrupted for people living with HIV/AIDS. We therefore also need funding for the broader humanitarian response.

But this is not only about money. We also need specialized technical emergency medical teams to be deployed. Some Member States have indicated that they may be prepared to send such teams, but we need much greater support and a stronger commitment of those resources.

With Ebola, you cannot take your foot off the gas. If you do, the epidemic will come straight back at us.

To slow and stop this, resources now.