A United Nations migration agency has warned that a funding shortfall could undermine efforts to detect Ebola and maintain preparedness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries.
The International Organization for Migration said on 10 November that it had received $50.2 million of the $110 million sought for its multi-country response plan, leaving a gap of $59.8 million. The figures concern the organisation’s own plan, not the entire cost of the international response.
The warning accompanied a call to maintain screening and disease surveillance along routes used by people travelling for work, trade, family reasons and access to services. The agency said activities were needed in displacement sites and communities as well as at official border crossings.
Cases identified along movement routes
At a UN briefing on 10 November, the agency said surveillance at points of entry and control it supports inside DR Congo had identified 71 confirmed Ebola cases among mobile populations since the outbreak began. Its written statement also referred to the 71 as initial alerts. The figures are cumulative; they do not mean that 71 people were newly diagnosed on the day of the announcement.
The agency separately reported three confirmed cases identified through surveillance at displacement sites between 26 October and 1 November. Its statement did not say whether those cases were also included in the 71 identified on movement routes.
The agency’s regional Ebola coordinator said its teams had supported more than 55 million traveller screenings across affected and at-risk countries since the outbreak began. Screenings are checks, not a count of distinct people or confirmed infections: an individual may be checked more than once.
The coordinator said people who were unwell at a screening point could be referred for further assessment at a nearby health facility. Screening is part of a wider response that includes laboratory testing, care and follow-up of people who may have been exposed.
Reaching people on the move
The agency said insecurity and continuing displacement were making it harder to reach affected communities and maintain surveillance. In DR Congo, it supports 67 displacement sites, including 50 in health zones affected by the outbreak.
Its teams are also mapping population movements to help identify places where monitoring may be needed. In Tshopo province, an assessment identified 19 river locations as potential sites for additional surveillance points.
In Uganda’s Kasese district, a separate mapping exercise identified 17 priority points of entry, including 13 informal crossings. The agency said the work was intended to help authorities decide where to strengthen screening and surveillance.
The agency is also supporting preparedness at points of entry in Kenya and monitoring movement at border locations in South Sudan. These activities form part of the regional plan; they do not establish that an outbreak is under way at every location where preparations are taking place.
Why early detection matters
The outbreak in DR Congo was confirmed in May 2026 and is caused by Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses that can cause Ebola disease. The illness can be severe and spreads between people through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of someone who is sick or has died, or with contaminated objects and surfaces.
Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and a sore throat. Those signs are not unique to Ebola, and laboratory testing is needed to confirm an infection. Early supportive care, including rehydration and treatment of symptoms, can improve a patient’s chances of survival.
The World Health Organization says outbreak control combines care with surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and community engagement. The migration agency’s appeal is aimed at sustaining its contribution to those efforts, particularly in places where people may not pass through a formal border post.
