Making Sense of Ebola and Other Health Crises

As the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda continue to fight the latest Ebola outbreak, the world is watching, and worrying.

On Sunday, officials in the DRC reported nearly 500 confirmed cases, “including 86 deaths, as of Friday,” according to the Associated Press. Health workers are reportedly scrambling to stop the virus’s spread, often working with little pay or rest, the AP report said.

In a worst-case scenario, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns, the current outbreak could lead to more than 20,000 cases in the Congo, NBC News and The Washington Post reported last week. On a global scale, the World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak to be a “public health emergency of international concern.” There’s even worry in the U.S. during the leadup to the World Cup. Eleven American cities are hosting matches that will draw players from around the world, including Africa.

Over 20 years of its existence, the Pulitzer Center has been at the forefront of supporting reporting on global health crises and helping to fight the misinformation that comes with them. For example:

• Back in 2014, grantee Amy Maxmen reported on the obstacles researchers in Africa faced during the Ebola outbreak then.
• In the April 2026 project Breathless, grantee Terry Greene Sterling and a team of fellow journalists examine non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, or NTM lung disease. It’s considered an emerging global health threat. It’s also an ailment Sterling herself is fighting.
• The 2025 series Growing Pressure on Cancer Care and Research reports on the impact of U.S. health funding cuts on cancer care and research, both domestically and globally.
• Grantee Deepa Fernandes’ 2026 project Number 62: Families Rally Amid Cuts to Rare-Diseases Research, uses a rare syndrome to illuminate challenges for people with developmental disabilities. Fernandes’ child was number 62 in the world diagnosed with Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome (NCBRS), a rare genetic disorder.
• Grantee Ari Daniel, in the project Facing Health Threats, S. Africa May Be on Verge of Medical Breakthroughs, reports on the work of laboratories and clinics on the continent. 
• And in the award-winning series Tragedy in Paradise, grantee Andy Pierrotti led reporting on how vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have fueled a measles outbreak in Samoa.

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Last week, the U.S. State Department announced nearly $38 million in additional funding toward its Ebola response efforts. This is in addition to $350 million for Ebola response and assistance in the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda, the agency says in a press release. “The United States continues to be the largest financial contributor to the Ebola response,” the State Department press release says.

The U.S. is considered to be at low risk of Ebola, and health experts have tried to assure Americans and others around the world that the latest outbreak isn’t likely to be “another COVID.” Unlike COVID and the flu, the virus is spread only through contact with the body fluids of an infected person.

Nevertheless, the outbreak has reportedly sparked misinformation and rumors. This comes amid lingering U.S. and global concern about the hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly disease spread by rodents. It made headlines after striking passengers on a cruise ship.

Science-based information is crucial as Americans and others around the world fight to stay safe and healthy. See more Pulitzer Center-supported reporting on global health and misinformation.