Global Fund Approves Emergency Financing for Malaria Prevention to Secure Ebola Response in Democratic Republic of the Congo – Press Releases

Global Fund approves emergency funding for malaria prevention to secure response to Ebola virus within the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This funding builds on the Global Fund’s initial emergency response within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda

July 16, 2026

– The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) has approved USD 4.6 million in emergency financing to support an intensified malaria response within the DRC in support of the Ebola response.

Malaria prevention has been shown to be a vital a part of supporting the country’s efforts to contain the Ebola epidemic and protect vulnerable communities. Both diseases often present with similar early symptoms, including fever, headache and weakness.

“Reducing malaria cases helps healthcare workers more quickly distinguish suspected Ebola cases, reducing unnecessary exposure for patients seeking care and allowing limited healthcare resources to be focused on preventing the transmission of Ebola,” said Mark Edington, director of grant management on the Global Fund. “Experience from previous Ebola virus outbreaks has shown that disruptions in malaria prevention and treatment can lead to a sharp increase in malaria-related illness and death, sometimes killing more people than Ebola.”

This emergency funding will support malaria prevention in 4 health zones in Ituri province, considered one of the areas hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak. The response will likely be implemented in two stages:

• The immediate first phase will enable rapid implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) to cut back malaria disease. MDA provides antimalarial drugs to everyone in a selected area, whether or not they have symptoms or not, in an effort to quickly reduce malaria infection and slow transmission.
• The second phase will strengthen protection through a second round of MDA, in addition to the distribution of greater than half 1,000,000 insecticide-treated bed nets and roughly 400,000 spatial repellents, a brand new technology designed to repel mosquitoes from an enclosed space akin to a health care facility or a room in a house. Together, these tools will help keep malaria transmission under control in the approaching months.

This recent investment builds on the Global Fund’s previous response to the Ebola epidemic. In late May, the organization approved grant flexibility to fight Ebola in Uganda, after which awarded additional support to the DRC in early June for a complete amount of USD 8.2 million. Continued grant funding helped each countries maintain essential HIV, TB and malaria services throughout the epidemic.

contributes to:

• Strengthening epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory diagnostic capabilities.
• Improving infection prevention and control measures and dignified and protected burials, including infodemic management.
• Strengthening logistics, operational coordination and rapid implementation capabilities.
• Supporting community responses focused on risk communication, infection prevention and protection, and psychosocial support.

supports the national response to Ebola outbreaks with diagnostic tools, surveillance and case management (including support for rapid response teams), and infection prevention and control materials. Although Uganda has not reported any confirmed cases of Ebola since early June, the country’s epidemic status stays stable but at high risk, underscoring the importance of maintaining vigilance and response capability.

The Global Fund is working closely with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SANRU (Soins de Santé Primaires en Milieu Rural), the Anti-Malaria Foundation and other partners to be certain that the malaria response complements broader Ebola control efforts within the DRC. Collectively, these investments will help reduce the burden on frontline medical examiners, maintain essential HIV, TB and malaria services, and strengthen the resilience of health systems responding to one of the vital complex public health emergencies within the region.

Over the past 20 years, investments from the Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria have helped countries just like the DRC and Uganda construct stronger health systems. Investments in laboratories, disease surveillance, health data, diagnostics and medical examiners at the moment are helping countries detect, track and reply to Ebola outbreaks more quickly. Tools akin to the Early Warning, Alerting and Response System (EWARS) and the National Health Data Exchange Platform (DHIS2) support real-time reporting, monitoring and evaluation, enabling health authorities to detect and reply to disease outbreaks more quickly. Community-based event-based surveillance also helps frontline staff quickly discover and report suspected cases, including in distant or high-risk locations.

The National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB) in Kinshasa continues to play a key regional and global leadership role in filovirus surveillance and diagnostics. The INRB, in collaboration with the Ugandan laboratory and public health authorities, quickly identified and sequenced the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus related to the present outbreak. INRB is considered one of Africa’s leading reference laboratories for Ebola and other high-risk pathogens.

Together, these investments and institutions contribute to strengthening regional preparedness, surveillance and diagnostic capabilities for emerging infectious disease threats.