DR Congo Ebola response hit by funding gaps and supply shortages, MSF warns

Hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to fight a deadly Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo have failed to reach critical front-line operations, leaving health workers without pay and vital supplies, according to a report by Médecins Sans Frontières.

The medical charity warned that the epidemic remains out of control as medical personnel struggle without adequate training, essential gear, or even fuel for ambulances. The crisis comes amid what is now the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record, which has killed more than 5,400 people and infected roughly 11,000 since it was first declared in May.

MSF urged Congolese authorities and United Nations agencies to urgently overhaul financial oversight to ensure that disbursed funds go directly to community needs and field staff. In its findings, the organization described deep systemic flaws, noting that some surveillance units exist solely on paper and never deploy to track cases.

The alert follows statements from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that roughly $700 million of $962 million released for the intervention could not be tracked. While Africa CDC director Jean Kaseya stopped short of calling it theft, he identified it as a critical failure of accounting and transparency. The Congolese health minister, Samuel-Roger Kamba, similarly criticized implementing groups, reporting that fewer than a quarter of aid agencies had submitted the required operational and spending details.

MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim expressed frustration over the dysfunctions seen across the region half a year into the emergency. Contact tracing, a pillar of epidemic control designed to isolate exposed individuals, remains severely hampered. According to MSF, approximately two-thirds of Ebola fatalities are occurring at home within local communities rather than inside dedicated medical facilities.

International experts warn that containment is faltering. British epidemiologist Neil Ferguson noted that over half of infections are escaping detection, projecting that the epidemic could persist for at least another year.

The response has also suffered from severe geographic disparities. MSF reported that interventions have moved too slowly in North Kivu province, while Haut-Uele province has been largely neglected. Many clinics lack basic safeguards, including running water, chlorine, and triage barriers, causing some medical centers to inadvertently spread infections rather than halt them.

Efforts to contain the virus are further complicated by long-standing armed conflict and poor infrastructure across eastern DR Congo, where rebel groups control key corridors. In addition, the United Nations and the Congolese government reported that nearly 10 million people in these regions face critical food shortages.

The current wave is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no licensed vaccine or specific therapy exists, though clinical trials are progressing. The contagion has crossed regional boundaries, with cases identified in Uganda, Nigeria, and Kenya, where the last known patient was recently discharged.