# Emergency Campaign to Protect 1.1 Million People from Malaria and Help Strengthen Ebola Response in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

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**GENEVA/BUNIA** – As health workers respond to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund), the Ministry of Health and partners are protecting 1.1 million people from malaria, recognizing that controlling the country’s deadliest infectious disease is critical to an effective Ebola response.

Notfallkampagne zum Schutz von 1,1 Millionen Menschen vor Malaria und zur Stärkung der Ebola-Bekämpfungsmaßnahmen
        im Osten der Demokratischen Republik Kongo
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DRC carries the world’s second-highest malaria burden, with an estimated 35 million cases and 67,700 deaths each year. In Ituri Province, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, health authorities recorded an estimated 1.48 million malaria cases in 2025.

Preventing malaria will help save lives while reducing the number of patients presenting with symptoms that can resemble Ebola, easing pressure on overstretched health facilities, supporting faster identification and treatment of Ebola cases, and preventing people from being unnecessarily exposed to Ebola while seeking care.

“When Ebola strikes, malaria doesn’t stop killing,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “In fact, often in an Ebola outbreak, more people die from malaria than Ebola. By protecting communities against malaria, we can save lives, reduce pressure on health workers and help ensure that the Ebola response is as effective as possible.”

The Global Fund is working with national nongovernmental organizations, including Soins de Santé primaires en milieu Rural (SANRU) and provincial health authorities to deliver emergency malaria protection to approximately 1.1 million people across four health zones most affected by the Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province: Bunia, Mongbwalu, Nyakunde and Rwampara.

The campaign, which is expected to last for approximately two weeks, combines three complementary interventions: antimalarial medicines, insecticide-treated mosquito nets and spatial repellents, an innovative mosquito-control tool that releases mosquito-repellent substances into the air and is shown to reduce malaria infections by around one-third when used alongside mosquito nets. 

This is the first time the Global Fund has supported a mass distribution of spatial repellents. Originally planned for early 2027, the rollout was accelerated in eastern DRC in response to the Ebola outbreak and the urgent need for additional malaria protection.

“Communities facing an Ebola outbreak should not have to also face a surge in preventable malaria deaths,” said Dr. Fernandine Phanzu, Malaria Program Manager at SANRU. “Working alongside local health authorities and community leaders, we are bringing protection directly to households, helping families stay healthy while health workers confront the Ebola emergency.”

“Malaria and Ebola can initially cause fever, headaches and fatigue, making it difficult to distinguish between them without testing,” said Susie Nasr, Head of Malaria at the Global Fund. “During previous Ebola outbreaks when many health centers were converted to Ebola treatment centers, parents were often afraid to take feverish children to clinics for diagnosis and treatment, contributing to increases in preventable malaria deaths.”

The campaign, combining three complementary malaria prevention tools, is supported by US$4.6 million in Global Fund emergency funding in partnership with the DRC’s National Malaria Control Program, SANRU, the Association for the Protection of Children in the Congo, the National Coordination for Community System Strengthening, the National Institute of Public Health through its Public Health Emergency Operations Center, the Ituri provincial government and health authorities.

Local health workers and community volunteers are leading household distributions and community engagement to ensure families receive malaria prevention tools and accurate information.