# Global Fund Approves Emergency Funding for Malaria Prevention to Safeguard Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

**GENEVA** – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has approved US$4.6 million in emergency funding to support an intensified malaria response in DRC to aid their Ebola response.

Malaria prevention has been shown to be an essential part of supporting a country’s efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak and protect vulnerable communities. Both diseases often present similar early symptoms, including fever, headache and weakness.

“Reducing malaria cases helps health workers distinguish suspected Ebola cases more quickly, decreasing unnecessary exposure for patients seeking care and allowing scarce health resources to be focused on containing Ebola transmission,” said Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund. “Experience from previous Ebola outbreaks has shown that disruptions to malaria prevention and treatment can lead to sharp increases in malaria-related illness and deaths, sometimes killing more people than Ebola.”

This emergency funding will support malaria prevention in four health zones in Ituri province, one of the areas hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak. The response will be implemented in two phases:

- An immediate first phase will rapidly deploy mass drug administration (MDA) to reduce malaria illness. MDA provides antimalarial medicines to everyone in a defined area, whether or not they have symptoms, to quickly reduce malaria infections and slow transmission.
- A second phase will strengthen protection through a second round of MDA as well as the distribution of over a half a million insecticide-treated mosquito nets and approximately 400,000 spatial repellents, a new technology designed to repel mosquitoes from an enclosed space such as a health facility or a room in a home. Together, these tools will help sustain the reduction of malaria transmission under control over the months ahead.

**Reinforcing the Initial Response**

This new investment builds on the Global Fund’s previous emergency response to the Ebola outbreak. In late May, the organization approved grant flexibilities for Uganda’s Ebola response, followed by additional support for DRC in early June, for a total of US$8.2 million. Continued grant funding also helped both countries maintain essential HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria services throughout the outbreak.

**In DRC, US$6.4 million** is contributing to:

- Strengthening epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing and laboratory diagnostic capabilities.
- Improving infection prevention and control measures and dignified and safe burials, including infodemic management.
- Reinforcing logistics, operational coordination and rapid deployment capabilities.
- Supporting community-based response focused on risk communication, infection prevention and protection and psychosocial support.

**In Uganda, US$1.8 million** is supporting the country’s national response to Ebola outbreaks with diagnostic tools, surveillance and case management (including support to rapid response teams) and infection prevention and control supplies. While Uganda has not reported a confirmed Ebola case since early June, the status of the outbreak in the country remains stable but highly vulnerable, underscoring the importance of maintaining vigilance and response capacity.

The Global Fund is working closely with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, SANRU (Soins de Santé Primaires en Milieu Rural), the Against Malaria Foundation and other partners to ensure the malaria response complements broader Ebola control efforts in DRC. Together, these investments will help reduce the burden on frontline health workers, maintain essential HIV, TB and malaria services, and strengthen the resilience of health systems responding to one of the region’s most complex public health emergencies.

**Health Systems Investments Benefiting the Ebola Response**

Over the past two decades, Global Fund investments to fight HIV, TB and malaria have helped countries like DRC and Uganda build stronger health systems. Investments in laboratories, disease surveillance, health data, diagnostics and community health workers are now helping countries detect, track and respond to Ebola outbreaks more quickly. Tools such as the Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) and the national health information data-sharing platform (DHIS2) support real-time reporting, monitoring and analysis, enabling health authorities to detect and respond to outbreaks more rapidly. Community event-based surveillance is also helping frontline workers identify and report suspected cases quickly, including in remote or high-risk settings.

The National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa continues to play a critical regional and global leadership role in filovirus surveillance and diagnostics. INRB, working in collaboration with Ugandan laboratory and public health authorities, rapidly identified and sequenced the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola linked to the current outbreak. INRB is one of Africa’s leading reference laboratories for Ebola and other high-threat pathogens.

Together, these investments and institutions contribute to strengthening regional preparedness, surveillance and diagnostic capacity for emerging infectious disease threats.