UN Relief Chief Warns 'Time Is Not on Our Side' as Ebola Funding Gap Hits $1.1 Billion

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told reporters on 1 September 2026 that the Ebola response in DRC 'is growing and has been scaled up, but the virus is moving faster,' warning that 'time is not on our side.' He said the outbreak had reached 6,100 confirmed cases and 2,950 deaths by the prior Monday (31 August), up from 5,515 cases and 2,642 deaths at the 100-day mark, and noted more than 5,000 cases have occurred in Ituri province alone. Fletcher said a $1.1 billion funding gap remains against the response plan and called the crisis 'a humanitarian emergency layered onto many existing humanitarian emergencies,' adding 'we have beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again.' The same day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed a High-Level Member States briefing on the DRC Ebola response, urging accelerated international funding and support.