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Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: Direct Relief Dr. Prince Mbuzukongira and Chantal Mandro of Jericho Road’s Wellness Clinic in Goma, DRC, discuss how the latest Ebola outbreak is impacting routine care, and why local trust is key. By Noah Smith The Ebola outbreak has changed daily care at the Wellness Clinic, Jericho Road’s clinic in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, even though the clinic has not received a confirmed Ebola case. The clinic provides essential health services for patients in the region, including primary care, a surgery center, and a birthing ward. The effect of Ebola in the region has been indirect on the clinic, but damaging. Clinic staff reported a roughly 20% decline in patient visits early in the outbreak. Many patients, they said, were afraid to enter the health system because of widespread distrust. The outbreak, caused by Bundibugyo virus, has led to at least 721 deaths and 1984 cases, according to the DRC and Ugandan Ministries of Health. Cases have been concentrated in the DRC’s Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. The CDC reports this is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak and the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record. In Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, the outbreak is unfolding in a city already battered by civil conflict and mass displacement. In this Q&A, Dr. Prince Mbuzukongira, a physician and public health specialist at the Wellness Clinic, and Chantal Mandro, a nurse and director at the clinic, spoke with Direct Relief about managing patient fears in order to keep infection-control measures in place, and why local trust may be as important to the Ebola response as masks, medicine, testing, and isolation beds. Their account shows how an outbreak can impact care even before a clinic sees a single suspected case. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How did the outbreak affect patient visits at the clinic? Dr. Prince Mbuzukongira: At the beginning, patient visits dropped by about 20 percent. When someone was not extremely sick, they often preferred to stay home. Around mid-May, there was one Ebola case in Goma. The patient was isolated and survived. That had a positive impact in the community. After people heard that someone could survive, they began coming back. How has routine care been affected by the outbreak? Chantal Mandro: The biggest impact is on people with diseases that can become more dangerous if care is delayed. Malaria, respiratory infections, and typhoid can become more dangerous when people stay home. If someone has fever and headache, it can be malaria, or it can be Ebola. Chronic-disease patients continued to come, but when an outbreak happens, people with chronic diseases are at higher risk. We saw a similar problem during coronavirus. Many of the people who died had chronic diseases. Border closures also limited access to some essential medicines. We have enough in stock for everyday use, but not if there’s a local outbreak. The medicines we requested from Direct Relief are very useful for poor patients with chronic illnesses, who are numerous here and who are not able to regularly pay for their medicines. These medicines are a great relief for them. Why is trust among the population so low when it comes to seeking care during an outbreak? PM: The response has many branches, but communication with the population is not emphasized enough. When there is an outbreak, people often come from very far away to organize the response. They do not use enough local nurses, local doctors, and local people who have influence in the community. They often come from Kinshasa or other places, and they come with funding. That is a problem because some people do not trust medical personnel who come from far away. Communication is one of the biggest challenges in this outbreak. You have to use local people with influence to explain things clearly. For example, people need to understand that Ebola can come from contact with infected animals and that eating certain wild animals can be dangerous. But that is not easy to explain to the community. The same is true with burial ceremonies. Some family members became very angry and took their deceased relatives by force. CM: Some people think medical personnel are there because there is money in the outbreak. They worry they will be falsely told they have the disease, or that they will be used as an experiment for a new disease. PM: They are afraid of what may happen to them inside the health system. CM: At the beginning of an outbreak, there is often no organized response. The first cases die. People see that and think there is no help even if they go to the hospital. In Bunia, at the start of this outbreak, many of the people who went for care were dying. Later, a treatment center was organized with international NGOs. Beyond communication and trust, what has been missing from this response? CM: In this new outbreak around Bunia, many things were missing at the beginning: money, setup, medicine, testing, and protective equipment. There was nothing in place. There is no easy place to buy PPE in Congo. We need partners to send it to us. Testing was also a problem. In Bunia, tests had to be sent to Kinshasa, and they could not do more than a small number of tests per day. That is why an outbreak can spread quickly. It is also why many medical personnel died. In Goma, the response has been more organized than in some other places. There has been isolation, testing capacity, and a system to control cases. People exposed to cases can be placed in isolation for 21 days. CM & PM: At the entrance to our clinic, we established a temperature-screening point and several handwashing stations. We also restricted gatherings inside the facility. Whenever a suspected case is identified, an alert is immediately issued, and the patient is taken over by the official outbreak response team. To date,

Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: MAP International A humanitarian worker with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has been injured and his home destroyed in an Israeli military airstrike impacting civilian homes in central Gaza. On the evening of Wednesday 15 July, the Israeli military issued a forced evacuation signal for a location within Al Bureij Camp in the Middle Area of Gaza. One of MAP’s staff members lives next to the targeted area, and so they and their family were forced to flee their home. Not long after, a large airstrike hit the neighbourhood, causing significant damage to their house and lightly injuring the MAP worker. The walls of their house were severely damaged and only one room was left standing. This staff member and their family are now displaced, with no home to return to. Despite the so-called “ceasefire” agreement last October, Israeli forces have intensified strikes and attacks across Gaza in recent weeks, killing and injuring Palestinians. This includes targeting densely populated areas where many thousands of people are sheltering in tents or bombed out buildings. In Al Bureij Camp attacks have also escalated, and just this week a nine-year-old girl was reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire into the camp Fikr Shalltoot, MAP’s Gaza Director, said: “Once again we see that nowhere in Gaza is safe for our staff to live and work. Our colleague and their family have lost their home in terrifying circumstances and have been forced to flee in the middle of the night. “This is a ceasefire in name only – Israeli forces are still killing Palestinians almost every day and recovery is nowhere in sight. How much longer can these indiscriminate attacks go on? When will the world actually take action to protect Palestinians from harm?” Since the ceasefire agreement on 11 October 2025, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,600 injured in Israeli military attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The total number of Palestinians killed since October 2023 is now more than 73,000, including more than 1,700 healthcare workers and 595 aid workers. According to the UN, around 1.4 million people — roughly 70% of the population — currently require shelter support, as their homes have been destroyed or cannot be accessed. Israeli military airstrikes and attacks are happening on both sides of the so-called “Yellow Line”, the demarcation of the deployment line to where Israeli forces withdrew in accordance with the ceasefire agreement. The “Yellow Line” continues to be moved further into Gaza by Israeli forces, with the Israeli military now controlling an estimated 70% of the territory. This is forcing Palestinians into ever smaller areas of land and raising serious concerns over de facto annexation of Gaza. MAP calls for urgent action to ensure the ceasefire is upheld and becomes permanent, and for civilians to be protected in line with international humanitarian law. Governments, including the UK, must maintain meaningful pressure on Israel to bring a permanent end to Israel’s genocide, including through halting arms transfers and ensuring accountability for violations of international law. ENDS To interview Fikr Shalltoot, who is currently in London until the 23 July, please contact: Email: press@map.org.uk Phone: +44 (0) 203 869 1310 About Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for a future where every Palestinian has access to a comprehensive, effective and locally-led system of healthcare, and the full realisation of their rights to health and dignity. We have worked for more than 40 years in the occupied Palestinian territory and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. MAP’s local team in Gaza continues to deliver our largest humanitarian response in our history in order to meet critical health and humanitarian needs caused by more than two year’s of Israel’s genocide. For more information please visit: www.map.org.uk

Country: Haiti Sources: IMPACT Initiatives, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached files. L’IMAWG est un forum dans lequel les évaluations et collectes de données prévues sont considérées, discutées et confirmées, éventuellement avec approbation de l’ICCG voire du HCT. L’IMAWG a préparé un registre compilant récoltes de données, évaluations, et analyses menées en Haïti en appui à la réponse humanitaire (à noter que certaines récoltes de données peuvent nourrir plusieurs évaluations ou analyses tandis que certaines évaluations intègrent des données provenant de multiples sources). A ce jour il n’y a pas de préoccupation particulière de l’IMAWG concernant les évaluations à visée humanitaire menées en Haïti sur ce point. Les membres sont encouragés à partager leurs plans de façon proactive et à ajuster les évaluations et collectes, durant l’IMAWG ou en bilatéral, afin de s’assurer de ne pas dupliquer les études et favoriser les collaborations aux différentes étapes.

Country: Central African Republic Source: UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic Bangui, 15 July 2026 – Two weeks after the armed attack of 30 June on Am-Dafock, in the Prefecture of Vakaga, the situation has gradually calmed down since 5 July, although it remains fragile and unpredictable. During its weekly press conference, MINUSCA reviewed the actions undertaken since the beginning of the crisis, emphasizing that they are centered on three priorities directly linked to the mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations Security Council: protection of civilians, support for maintaining and extending State authority, and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance. “The question now is how these three priorities are translated into concrete action on the ground. That is precisely what we are witnessing today in Am-Dafock,” said MINUSCA Acting Spokesperson Joël Ndoli Pierre. Since 30 June, 17,585 displaced persons have continued to seek refuge near the MINUSCA Temporary Operating Base, where peacekeepers ensure their protection through a permanent presence and regular patrols. The Mission’s base has become a place of refuge for many families. “It is thanks to MINUSCA that we are still alive. They took us in and are protecting us here,” said a displaced woman. Another displaced person added: “We thank MINUSCA for its presence and hope that its capabilities will be strengthened so that it can continue to protect the population.” As the Acting Spokesperson recalled, “The first priority was, of course, to protect the population.” This protection remains the Mission’s foremost priority today, as it continues its patrols while remaining present alongside displaced persons without interruption. The Mission has also contributed to maintaining State authority by enabling the local administration to continue operating despite the destruction caused by the attackers. Following the destruction of the Sub-Prefecture offices, MINUSCA quickly set up a secure workspace near its base so that the Sub-Prefect could continue to perform his duties in service of the population. “Thanks to this support, I am able to continue performing my duties in service of the population,” emphasized the Sub-Prefect of Am-Dafock. This support is part of the Mission’s ongoing efforts over several years to sustainably strengthen the State’s presence in this border locality, notably through the construction of the Sub-Prefecture, the Gendarmerie station, and the Town Hall. “Beyond the emergency response, this action is part of the Mission’s ongoing commitment in Am-Dafock,” Joël Ndoli Pierre also emphasized, recalling the investments made by MINUSCA in recent years to support the return of the administration to this border area. At the same time, MINUSCA continues to support humanitarian partners in addressing the urgent needs of affected populations. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Mission has facilitated the transportation of humanitarian teams, ensured their safe movement, and enabled the delivery of more than three tons of medicines, medical supplies, emergency kits, water, sanitation and hygiene equipment, as well as other essential items for displaced persons. “No response to such a crisis would be complete without the efforts of humanitarian partners,” the Acting Spokesperson recalled. MINUSCA therefore continues to help create the security conditions necessary for humanitarian actors to assist affected communities and facilitate the delivery of emergency assistance. During the same press conference, the Mission also highlighted other activities being carried out as part of its mandate. In the western part of the country, new capacity-building sessions were organized for the Transhumance Working Groups in Paoua, Batangafo, and Bembéré to strengthen mechanisms for dialogue, mediation, and conflict prevention between herders and farmers. Lastly, MINUSCA provided an update on its Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and Community Violence Reduction (CVR) activities in the Prefecture of Nana-Mambéré. Following disarmament operations conducted in Ndongué-Douane, several dozen combatants voluntarily laid down their arms. To address the expectations expressed by local communities, the Mission is now supporting beneficiaries in Niem-Yelewa through a reintegration project centered on livestock farming, income-generating activities, and strengthening social cohesion. This initiative helps provide economic opportunities for young people while contributing to the sustainable consolidation of peace. Through these actions, MINUSCA reaffirms its commitment to continue implementing its mandate alongside the Central African authorities in order to protect populations, strengthen the presence of the State, and create the conditions conducive to a sustainable return to peace.