Ayuda para detener el ébola. Ayuda para salvar vidas.

Respuesta al ébola
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A Samaritan's Purse Disaster Assistance Response Team is on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo serving residents at Ebola Treatment Centers in Ituri Province.

  • We are treating patients at our 40-bed Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia and will soon open a treatment center at our partner mission hospital in Nyankunde. We've trained hundreds of medical workers in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • We've reached tens of thousands of Congolese with infection prevention programming and installed scores of handwashing stations. Containment and education measures continue in nearly two dozen health zones.
  • Our 767 flight on May 24 transported tens of thousands of pounds of medical supplies, protective equipment, and personnel to the region, all carried into the DRC on dozens of flights of Samaritan’s Purse planes, chartered C-130s, and other aircraft.

IMPORTANT UPDATE Dr. Peter Stafford, a former post resident with Samaritan’s Purse, fell ill with Ebola at the outset of the outbreak. He was serving at a Christian mission hospital in Nyankunde. After falling ill he was airlifted to Germany for treatment. He is now recovered and has returned to the United States with his family. Praise God!

Dozens of Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members from Samaritan's Purse are on the ground in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo coordinating with the Ministry of Health across nearly two dozen health zones as reported cases of Ebola are on the rise.

Our 40-bed Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, is open and is already receiving patients. A second treatment center established at a long-time partner mission hospital in Nyankunde will open soon as our teams continue to work in communities to contain the spread of the disease.

Samaritan's Purse and local medical personnel donned in yellow Personal Protective Equipment are covered head to toe, which includes tightly fitting goggles and sleeves that are duct taped to close the area between gloves and arm coverage. These are part of the protocol to protect workers as they begin to treat a patient who is showing symptoms of Ebola.
Samaritan's Purse and local medical personnel donned in yellow Personal Protective Equipment treat a patient with Ebola symptoms at our Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia.

We have equipped staff in Nyankunde and at other locations with PPE, training, and other support as the hospital and surrounding communities continue responding to the outbreak.

"Samaritan's Purse lleva más de una década luchando contra el ébola, y no vamos a parar ahora. Haremos todo lo posible por salvar vidas,” declaró Franklin Graham, presidente de Samaritan's Purse. “Queremos que la gente sepa que Dios los ama y que no están solos.”.

Through an education campaign, we are actively reaching thousands of people with information on disease risks and prevention. Our water, sanitation, and hygiene teams have established handwashing stations and instructed many residents in proper sanitation and hygiene to prevent disease transmission. Samaritan's Purse DART members continue serving in multiple communities.

“The situation out there is extremely challenging," said Shannon Hamilton, our team lead on the ground in Nyankunde, where the number of cases continues to grow. "I'm thankful the Lord has opened this pathway. Our team is there to show them ‘Hey, we’re going to get you safe. We're going to support you in this. We're going to step in beside you.’”

We will continue to assist local mission hospitals and communities with establishing protocols for treatment of infected patients, prevention of person-to-person transmission, and controlling the spread. The treatment centers, operated by Samaritan's Purse, are specifically adapted to treat Ebola patients.

Nuestra oficina nacional, con larga trayectoria, se encuentra en Bunia, la capital de la provincia de Ituri, una de las más afectadas. Allí, nuestro personal trabaja en nombre de Jesús para brindar educación en prevención de enfermedades, desarrollar proyectos de agua, saneamiento e higiene, y llevar a cabo otros programas para detener la propagación del virus.

Los suministros transportados por nuestro avión Boeing 767 el 24 de mayo han sido trasladados desde Uganda a la zona. Estos incluyen los suministros y las estructuras para los centros de tratamiento del ébola, así como equipos de protección personal, de vital importancia para los trabajadores sanitarios locales que han estado atendiendo a pacientes desde el inicio del brote.

A heavy lift loading supplies into an airplane.
Los equipos descargan suministros de nuestro Boeing 767 mientras nuestra respuesta al ébola continúa intensificándose en la República Democrática del Congo.

Entre los especialistas en respuesta a desastres que ya prestan servicio en la provincia de Ituri, una de las más afectadas, se encuentran un especialista en brotes epidémicos, un especialista en prevención y control de infecciones y personal médico. Próximamente se incorporarán más miembros al equipo.

"As this deadly Ebola virus spreads so does people's fear and uncertainty," Franklin Graham said. "They are in desperate need of emergency medical relief and supplies to help prevent the spread of this outbreak. That's why Samaritan's Purse is airlifting supplies to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

El avión de carga Boeing 767 de Samaritan's Purse partió de Carolina del Norte con destino a África el 24 de mayo, transportando por vía aérea más de 39 toneladas de suministros médicos esenciales para ayudar a combatir la propagación de este virus mortal. Los hospitales locales necesitan urgentemente recibir el equipo de protección para su personal sanitario.

Nuestra organización cuenta con una larga trayectoria en la respuesta a enfermedades infecciosas, como el ébola, el cólera, la difteria y el COVID-19.

Durante el punto más crítico del brote de ébola en Liberia en 2014, Samaritan's Purse abrió un centro de tratamiento del ébola, donde se brindó atención directa a los pacientes, y combatió las tasas de infección mediante capacitación en higiene y educación preventiva en las comunidades afectadas. A través de una campaña masiva de educación pública, en la que participaron miles de líderes religiosos, Samaritan's Purse proporcionó información vital a más de 1.6 millones de personas.

A group of medical workers assisting people with ebola in an orange plastic tarped off field.
República Democrática del Congo, 2018-19

Apenas unos años después, en 2018, Samaritan's Purse estableció un centro de tratamiento del ébola en la República Democrática del Congo, donde ha atendido a más de 600 pacientes y continúa educando a las comunidades sobre las mejores prácticas para ayudar a detener la propagación de la enfermedad.

Por favor, mantente en oración por el equipo de la oficina nacional y por nuestro Equipo de Respuesta para Asistencia en caso de Desastre, mientras respondemos al brote actual del 2026. Ora por todas las personas afectadas en África central y oriental y para que se detenga la propagación de este virus.

Fotos

An aerial view shows our Ebola Treatment Center constructed in Bunia, the capital city of Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A local Samaritan's Purse team member helps a fellow health worker adjust goggles to ensure zero exposure when they enter patient areas. One team member sprays down medical personnel who has exited the patient area. This bleach solution is part of the decontamination protocol before removing protective gear. A nighttime aerial view of the Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia shows the progress of our construction of the facility where Ebola patients will be treated by medical teams. A Group of men walking in a dirt field. A group of workers in vests standing in front of crates of supplies. A large forklift loading a crate of supplies into an airplane. A heavy lift loading supplies into an airplane. Medical workers training in front of bushes. A group of people unloading emergency equipment and supplies off of a truck.c Two workers loading cleaning supplies into a small engine plane wearing full medical body suites. People putting large plastic tarps onto the walls and ceilings in a building.