While the response to the Ebola disease outbreak is mobilising significant resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns of the need to maintain care and funding for other health crises in the east of the country to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation. Cholera, measles, malaria and violence linked to the ongoing conflict, among others, continue to threaten thousands of people in North and South Kivu.
Since the Ebola disease outbreak was declared in May, media attention and resources have focused largely on the response to this emergency. While this mobilisation is essential to contain the outbreak, it must not come at the expense of other health and humanitarian needs that persist in North and South Kivu.
This outbreak is occurring in a context already marked by multiple health and humanitarian crises. Communities are already living under the pressure of armed conflict. Repeated clashes cause population displacement, interrupt vaccination campaigns, limit access to safe drinking water and make healthcare harder to access.
Added to this already fragile situation is the fear now associated with Ebola disease. In general, fear of exposure to the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus can deter some patients from attending health facilities in provinces already affected by the outbreak. This fear could lead to delays in care or deaths, including from common diseases, thereby worsening situations that are otherwise preventable and further weakening access to primary healthcare.
In the shadow of Ebola disease, measles and cholera are spreading in the east of the country
While the Ebola disease outbreak is the focus of attention, other outbreaks are spreading in Eastern DRC. According to official data, more than 108,643 suspected measles cases, with 1,394 deaths, were reported across the country from January to 19 July 2026. Nearly half of these cases — more than 50,827 — are concentrated in North and South Kivu. At the same time, the country has already recorded more than 35,464 suspected cholera cases and more than 1,051 deaths. Of these notifications, 14,819 are concentrated in the two provinces.
MSF has mobilised in the fight against measles in North and South Kivu. Teams have carried out six interventions in response to measles outbreaks. The most recent are still ongoing, taking place in Shabunda, South Kivu, and Walikale, North Kivu. Together, these interventions have already made it possible to treat more than 12,050 patients and vaccinate more than 283,150 children.
At the same time, teams are facing a worrying resurgence of cholera. In Bukavu and Shabunda, South Kivu, MSF continues to care for patients following a surge in cases recorded last year in the province. In Goma, teams were also mobilised to tackle a cholera outbreak between May and early August 2026. In total, more than 2,410 people with cholera have already been treated in MSF-supported facilities.
“For the families we care for, there is no hierarchy between crises. Whether a child dies of measles or malaria, whether a person succumbs to cholera or Ebola disease, every life matters,” says Dr Yvan Mbangi, MSF Deputy Medical Coordinator in Goma.
Beyond its response to Ebola disease, measles and cholera outbreaks, MSF continues to provide essential healthcare in Masisi, Mweso, Walikale, Bambo, Kibirizi, Kirotshe, Goma and Rutshuru in North Kivu, and in Minova, Bunyakiri and Uvira in South Kivu. But given the scale of the needs, this mobilisation remains largely inadequate. These crises require a much greater commitment from health authorities and humanitarian actors to guarantee access to care for the most vulnerable populations.
Do not push other crises into the background
While humanitarian needs continue to increase, available funding is decreasing. North Kivu could notably be excluded from the next three-year Global Fund funding cycle dedicated to the fight against malaria.
Yet malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity in DRC, including in North Kivu. Population displacement caused by fighting forces many families to seek refuge in forests or isolated areas, where exposure to mosquitoes is greater and access to healthcare is particularly limited.
“We risk seeing a reduction in the resources dedicated to the disease that nevertheless kills the most people in this region. It would be a tragic paradox: mobilising considerable resources against one outbreak while weakening the response to a disease that continues to cause a far higher number of deaths every day,” warns Dr Mbangi.
Years of conflict, massive population displacement and chronic insecurity, as well as the drastic reduction in humanitarian aid funding, have drastically weakened the health system in North and South Kivu. Many health centres and hospitals are operating with reduced capacity due to a lack of staff, medicines and equipment, while others have had to suspend their activities because of violence. In several areas, hundreds of thousands of people remain without regular access to healthcare.
“While medical-humanitarian needs continue to grow in eastern DRC, we call on the authorities, donors and all humanitarian actors to maintain and strengthen their investments in all responses to the many and diverse needs of the population. It is vital that all emergencies be addressed simultaneously,” concludes Joshua Eckley.
