Is the United States Increasing Its Efforts to Combat Ebola?

By
Josh Michaud
Jennifer Kates
May 21, 2026

Kaiser Family Foundation

Objective:

To assess the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as declared a public health emergency by WHO.

Key Findings:

The current outbreak is one of the largest Ebola outbreaks to date.
The U.S. response includes significant financial support compared to previous outbreaks, as reported by the State Department.
The operational environment for U.S. support has changed due to reduced foreign aid and altered organizational mechanisms.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

The exact funding needs for the current outbreak response are still being assessed, as stated by the State Department.
The absence of USAID in the current response alters traditional support mechanisms, impacting the overall response strategy.

Conclusion:

The U.S. is increasing its efforts against the Ebola outbreak in DRC, but the response is complicated by recent changes in global health policy and funding, as noted in the source.