Help Stop Ebola. Help Save Lives.

Ebola Response
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Congolese are receiving live-saving care at our two Ebola Treatment Centers as Samaritan's Purse teams work to treat the sick and slow the spread of the deadly virus.

Latest Updates
  • We have treated nearly 200 patients at our two treatment centers--one in Bunia and one at our partner mission hospital in Nyankunde.
  • We've reached tens of thousands of Congolese with educational programming and installed scores of handwashing stations in local communities.
  • Samaritan's Purse has completed two airlifts via our 767 aircraft, each packed with tons of important relief items, including personal protective equipment, hygiene kits, and medical equipment and materials for the Ebola Treatment Centers.

More than 70 Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members from Samaritan's Purse are on the ground in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo coordinating with the Ministry of Health across nearly two dozen health zones as reported cases of Ebola are on the rise.

We opened two Ebola Treatment Centers in mid-June: one 50-bed facility in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, that we’re expanding to treat 70, and a 31-bed unit at a long-time partner mission hospital in Nyankunde. Both are at or near capacity.

Samaritan's Purse and local medical personnel donned in yellow personal protective equipment are covered head to toe, which includes tightly fitting goggles and sleeves that are duct taped to close the area between gloves and arm coverage. These are part of the protocol to protect workers as they begin to treat a patient who is showing symptoms of Ebola.
Samaritan's Purse and local medical personnel in personal protective equipment treat a patient at our Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia.

“Samaritan's Purse has been on the frontlines of fighting Ebola for more than a decade, and we aren't going to stop now. We are going to do everything we can to help save lives,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. “We want people to know that God loves them, and they are not alone.”

Through an education campaign, we are actively reaching thousands of people with information on disease risks and prevention. Our water, sanitation, and hygiene teams have established handwashing stations and instructed many residents in proper sanitation and hygiene to prevent disease transmission. This is absolutely critical in the effort to stop Ebola. Samaritan's Purse DART members continue serving in multiple communities.

“The situation out there is extremely challenging," said Shannon Hamilton, our team lead on the ground in Nyankunde, where the number of cases continues to grow. "I'm thankful the Lord has opened this pathway. Our team is there to show them ‘Hey, we’re going to get you safe. We're going to support you in this. We're going to step in beside you.’”

We will continue to assist local mission hospitals and communities with establishing protocols for treatment of infected patients, prevention of person-to-person transmission, and controlling the spread. The treatment centers, operated by Samaritan's Purse, are specifically adapted to treat Ebola patients.

Our longstanding country office is based in Bunia, the capital of hard-hit Ituri Province. Staff members there are working in Jesus' Name to provide education in disease prevention; water, sanitation, and hygiene projects; and other programming to stop spread of the virus.

A heavy lift loading supplies into an airplane.
Teams offload supplies from our 767 as our Ebola response continues to build in DRC.

"As this deadly Ebola virus spreads so does people's fear and uncertainty," Franklin Graham said. "They are in desperate need of emergency medical relief and supplies to help prevent the spread of this outbreak. That's why Samaritan's Purse is airlifting supplies to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

Our first 767 flight, on May 24, transported tens of thousands of pounds of medical supplies, protective equipment, and personnel to the region, all carried into the DRC on dozens of flights of Samaritan’s Purse planes, chartered C-130s, and other aircraft. Our second 767 flight departed Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 20 and delivered tons of personal protective equipment, hygiene kits, and more. With more than 112,000 pounds of relief aboard, this is our largest load carried on our 767.

Our organization has a long history of responding to infectious diseases, including Ebola, cholera, diphtheria, and COVID-19.

During the height of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014, Samaritan's Purse opened an Ebola Treatment Center—giving hands-on patient care—and combatted infection rates by providing hygiene training and prevention education across affected communities. Through a massive public education campaign, which included thousands of church leaders, Samaritan's Purse provided potentially life-saving information to more than 1.6 million people.

A group of medical workers assisting people with ebola in an orange plastic tarped off field.
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018-19

Just a few years later, Samaritan's Purse established an Ebola Treatment Center during the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, caring for more than 600 patients and continuing to educate communities on best practices to help stop the spread of the disease.

Please be in prayer for our country office team and our Disaster Assistance Response Team as we respond to this 2026 outbreak. Pray for all the people affected in central and eastern Africa and for an end to the spread of this virus.

Of Special Note: Dr. Peter Stafford, a former post-resident with Samaritan’s Purse, fell ill and tested positive for Ebola at the outset of the outbreak while serving in Nyankunde. He was airlifted to Germany where he received excellent care. He is now recovering and has returned to the United States with his family. Praise God!

Photos

An aerial view shows our Ebola Treatment Center constructed in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A local Samaritan's Purse team member helps a fellow health worker adjust goggles to ensure zero exposure when they enter patient areas. One team member sprays down a medical professional who has exited the patient area. This bleach solution is part of the decontamination protocol before removing protective gear. A nighttime aerial view of the Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia shows the progress of our construction of the facility where Ebola patients will be treated by medical teams. A Group of men walking in a dirt field. A group of workers in vests standing in front of crates of supplies. A large forklift loading a crate of supplies into an airplane. A heavy lift loading supplies into an airplane. Medical workers training in front of bushes. A group of people unloading emergency equipment and supplies off of a truck.c Two workers loading cleaning supplies into a small engine plane wearing full medical body suites. People putting large plastic tarps onto the walls and ceilings in a building.