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World Vision scales up emergency response as Ebola spreads through eastern DRC

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Key Facts:

World Vision spokespeople available for interview, including on

• the children at the heart of this crisis,
• how the outbreak is layering on top of an already severe humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC,
• the access constraints facing the response,
• what World Vision has learned from previous Ebola outbreaks about what works and what doesn't.

For queries and media requests, please contact: 
Domi Gonzales at [email protected] or 0413 788 380. 
Oliver White at [email protected] or 0406 328 641.

World Vision has escalated its emergency response in eastern DRC to its highest operational level after the latest Ebola outbreak spread into North Kivu, where its teams are based.

 

The outbreak, declared by the Government of the DRC on 15 May, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or approved treatment, and which kills between 30 and 50 per cent of those infected. The World Health Organization declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 16 May. Cases have also been confirmed across the border in Uganda.

 

The outbreak is unfolding as humanitarian access tightens. Rwanda has closed its border with Goma in response to the outbreak, and Goma’s international airport remains closed: both significant constraints on the movement of personnel and supplies into eastern DRC.

 

World Vision DRC is working alongside the Congolese government and other agencies to slow the spread. Frontline staff are focused on getting trusted public health information into communities, supporting hygiene and sanitation, and strengthening local surveillance so new cases can be identified and isolated quickly. World Vision has worked in DRC for more than 30 years, including in some of the country’s most remote and conflict-affected areas.

 

World Vision Australia CEO Grant Bayldon said the spread of the virus into populated, conflict-affected provinces was deeply concerning: “Eastern DRC is already living through one of the world’s most under-reported humanitarian crises: displacement, hunger, broken health systems. An Ebola outbreak in this context is devastating.”

 

“Our colleagues on the ground are people who live in these communities. They know the families, they know the children. Now they’re working to protect them from a virus that has no vaccine, in places where a clinic can be hours away on foot. Children are at the heart of what’s at stake: not only the risk of infection, but the risk of losing caregivers, missing school, or being displaced again. They must be at the centre of how the world responds,” Mr Bayldon said.

 

World Vision DRC National Director Philippe Guiton said: “We have learned hard lessons from past outbreaks. During the 2018 crisis in eastern DRC, fear and misinformation spread quickly – families hid symptoms, communities distrusted responders. But we also saw what works: trusted local leaders, faith networks, and community-driven prevention. We are ready to apply that experience now, in Ituri and North Kivu. But the scale of this outbreak and the fragility of the context means we cannot do this alone.”

 

Health authorities are warning the true number of infections is likely higher than currently reported, with the outbreak unfolding in areas affected by ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian need.

 

Australians can support World Vision’s emergency response in the DRC by visiting worldvision.com.au or calling 13 32 40.

 

ENDS.

 

Notes to editors:

• This is the DRC’s 17^th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976. The previous outbreak, in Bulape health zone, Kasai Province, was declared in September 2025.
• The current outbreak was officially declared by the Government of the DRC on 15 May 2026, following confirmation by the country’s national reference laboratory. On 16 May 2026, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
• The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, one of several Orthoebolaviruses. There is no licensed vaccine or approved treatment for this strain, and it has a reported case fatality rate of 30–50 per cent.
• As of 19 May 2026, more than 500 suspected cases and at least 131 deaths had been reported across multiple health zones in Ituri Province and Nord Kivu, with two infections and one death also confirmed in Uganda.
• The 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri was the largest in DRC’s history, with 2,299 deaths.
• Rwanda has closed its border with Goma in response to the outbreak. Goma’s international airport remains closed, further limiting humanitarian access into eastern DRC.
• World Vision DRC escalated its internal response to a Category 3 National Response on 20 May 2026, following spread of the outbreak into its operational areas.
• World Vision has worked in DRC for more than 30 years and operates across multiple provinces, including areas now affected by the outbreak.
• Through its Channels of Hope approach, World Vision trains faith leaders and community mobilisers to deliver trusted public health information in isolated and high-risk communities – an approach used effectively in previous Ebola responses.

About us:

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian and development organisation dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision and their partners are working in communities to improve families’ economic prospects, strengthen violence prevention and child protection services, and improve education systems. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

Contact details:

Domi Gonzales | [email protected] | 0413 788 380. 

Oliver White | [email protected] | 0406 328 641.