UK boosts Ebola funding to £78m as DRC outbreak death toll nears 3,000

The United Kingdom has sharply increased its funding to fight the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, pushing total UK support to about £78 million (with recent adds around £50 million, later reported as £51.8 million to reach £78.7 million). The new package funds surveillance, frontline health worker support, treatment access, infection prevention, community outreach, and safe burials, while also sustaining WASH, PPE, and maternity health programs through ongoing commitments. Officials emphasize that the outbreak is the fastest-spreading and deadliest on record, with roughly 6,100 confirmed cases and around 2,950 deaths to date. The UK has deployed Public Health Rapid Support Team experts to aid on-the-ground efforts and continues collaboration with international partners such as Africa CDC, WHO, and UN agencies. Ministers say speed is critical to limit wider humanitarian impacts as the response scales up. This expanded aid underscores a coordinated international effort to accelerate the response amid rising case numbers and humanitarian needs.