Since the Ebola disease outbreak was declared in May, media attention and resources have focused largely on the response to this emergency. While this mobilization is essential to contain the outbreak, it must not come at the expense of other health and humanitarian needs that persist in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s North and South Kivu provinces.
Cholera, measles, malaria, and violence linked to the ongoing conflict continue to threaten thousands of people in North and South Kivu. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is responding to the measles and cholera outbreaks affecting the two provinces, and since January 2026, our teams have treated more than 12,050 patients and vaccinated more than 283,150 children against measles.
MSF continues to support health facilities and various medical needs, but additional support is needed. We call on all humanitarian actors to ensure safe access to essential health care services in DRC despite the Ebola disease outbreak, in order to avoid a higher risk of preventable deaths.
Ebola disease makes headlines, but it is not the only crisis in DR Congo
DRC is experiencing multiple simultaneous health and humanitarian crises. Communities are already living under the pressure of armed conflict, while repeated clashes cause displacement, interrupt vaccination campaigns, limit access to safe drinking water, and make health care harder to access.
Added to this fragile situation is the fear now associated with Ebola disease. Fear of exposure to the virus can deter patients from seeking health care, potentially leading to delays in treatment or deaths, including from preventable diseases.
“The Ebola disease outbreak is a major emergency, but it is not the only one,” explains Joshua Eckley, MSF head of programs in South Kivu. “Every day, we receive patients suffering from various diseases, people injured in fighting, and survivors of sexual violence. For these communities, all these emergencies coexist and require a simultaneous response. When basic health care is interrupted, more people risk dying from preventable diseases. It is essential to preserve continuity of care and access to primary health care in order to treat all other conditions.”
In the shadow of Ebola disease, measles and cholera are spreading in the east of the country
MSF teams have mobilized six interventions in response to measles outbreaks in North and South Kivu. The most recent are still ongoing in Shabunda, South Kivu, and Walikale, North Kivu. MSF teams have already treated more than 12,050 patients and vaccinated more than 283,150 children.
At the same time, we are seeing 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 mobilized 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.
News update
Measles and cholera in DR Congo
While the Ebola disease outbreak is the focus of attention, other outbreaks are spreading in eastern DRC. As of July 19 there were:
- 108,643 suspected measles cases (of those, more than 50,827 in North and South Kivu);
- 1,394 deaths from measles;
- More than 35,464 suspected cholera cases (14,819 in North and South Kivu); and
- More than 1,051 deaths from cholera.
“For the families we care for, there is no hierarchy between crises,” says Dr. Yvan Mbangi, MSF deputy medical coordinator in Goma. “Whether a child dies of measles or malaria, whether a person succumbs to cholera or Ebola disease, every life matters.”
Beyond the response to Ebola disease, measles, and cholera outbreaks, MSF continues to provide essential health care 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 mobilization 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 people.
Funding is decreasing amid rising needs
While humanitarian needs continue to increase, available funding is decreasing. Despite malaria remaining the leading cause of morbidity in DRC, North Kivu could notably be excluded from the next three-year Global Fund funding cycle dedicated to the fight against malaria.
“We risk seeing a reduction in the resources dedicated to the disease that kills the most people in this region,” warns Dr. Mbangi. “It would be a tragic paradox: mobilizing considerable resources against one outbreak while weakening the response to a disease that continues to cause a far higher number of deaths every day.”
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 centers 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 health care. Population displacement caused by fighting also forces many families to seek refuge in forests or isolated areas, where exposure to mosquitoes is greater and access to health care is particularly limited.
“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 people,” adds Eckley. “It is vital that all emergencies be addressed simultaneously.”
