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Russia to help Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda contain Ebola outbreak — MFA

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that Russia is committed to providing all necessary aid and facilitating efforts in every possible way

MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has announced that Russia will assist the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda in swiftly controlling the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

"We hope that the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with the support of partner nations and international organizations, will be able to contain the outbreak promptly. Russia is committed to providing all necessary aid and facilitating efforts in every possible way," Zakharova told a news briefing.

She further explained that, at Uganda’s request, a team of specialists from Russia’s consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor will arrive in Uganda on May 25 to conduct epidemiological investigations and support local partners in outbreak containment. "We will employ Russian-developed diagnostic tests for this purpose," she added.

Highlighting Russia’s longstanding assistance, Zakharova noted that Uganda has benefited significantly from Rospotrebnadzor’s support in recent years, including the donation of two mobile laboratories in 2024-2025 to bolster its scientific, laboratory, and human resource capacities. Over 80 Ugandan specialists have also received training since 2023 in areas such as pathogen monitoring, disinfection, laboratory diagnostics, and biosafety. Additionally, in February 2025, Rospotrebnadzor experts assisted Uganda in combating this fever.

Russia’s support extends to the DRC as well, with two mobile laboratories donated in 2020 to enhance testing and response capabilities.

On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency concerning the Ebola outbreak affecting the DRC and Uganda. Currently, there are over 80 confirmed cases in the DRC and one in Uganda. The situation continues to be monitored, and the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that there is no risk of Ebola spreading to Russia at this time. Although suspected imported cases have been reported in Russia, none have been confirmed.

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Foreign policy Maria Zakharova

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