DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreading exponentially
21/8/2026: The UN's Senior Ebola Coordinator has warned that the number of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo has doubled in the last 20 days. Efforts to contain the outbreak have been impeded by lack of funds, violence, and deaths of health workers from the disease.
Source: UN News
An attack on healthcare every six hours, and no one held to account
14/8/2026: Across the world, healthcare venues and personnel have suffered more than 10,000 attacks in the past eight years, resulting in approximately 5,700 deaths and over 8,000 injuries. Most incidents occurred in Ukraine, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territory, but other locations include Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, the DRC, South Sudan, Russia, Syria and Nigeria
Source: UN News
DR Congo Ebola outbreak becomes world’s second-largest ever
31/7/2026: The current outbreak of Ebola has proven unusually deadly, killing five times more people in its first three months than previous outbreaks had by the same stage. Health officials say the true scale of the epidemic remains unclear. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Source: DW
US finally moves to release $600 million to Gavi
29/7/2026: The US has moved to release funding to the Vaccine Alliance, the public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. This concludes a year-and-a-half of uncertainty for Gavi, following sceptical comments by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Source: Devex
Global HIV response falters as resurgence looms
27/7/2026: A report by UNAIDS shows that reductions to international funding are likely to lead to a resurgence of the epidemic. Many low-income countries in Africa were more than 90% dependent on foreign aid for their HIV programmes. Without urgent action to meet the 2030 goals, more than 3 million could become infected with HIV by 2030.
Source: UNAIDS
Trump’s HIV funding cuts have severe impact around the world
21/7/2026: A survey by the Aids research foundation, Amfar, finds that cuts to the funding of the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief have caused “severe and devastating” disruption globally, with thousands of staff laid off and many clinics closed. Combined with imposition of Trump's refusal to accept diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the changes risk reversing progress in the fight against HIV/Aids.
Source: The Guardian
Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever
14/7/2026: The World Health Organization has warned that infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from unknown transmission chains.
Source: UN News
How climate change is redrawing Africa’s malaria map
3/7/2026: The gains made in reducing malaria cases around the world are being put in jeopardy as climate change drives up the number of mosquitoes and changes their geographical distribution. The African continent is the most at risk, where the number of deaths is predicted to almost double by 2050. Less than 0.5% of multilateral climate financing is channelled into health.
Source: Devex
Can South Africa survive loss of US funding for HIV?
26/6/2026: The Trump administration has confirmed its plans to end support for South Africa through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief completely by 2027, as it doubles down on accusations of discrimination against the white community. More than eight million people live with HIV in South Africa.
Source: Devex
New political declaration launches final push to end AIDS by 2030
24/6/2026: The recent UN High-Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS has reaffirmed the international commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The Declaration underscores the determination of countries to maintain momentum despite a rapidly evolving financing landscape for global health.
Source: World Health Organization