Supporting Ethiopia’s Marburg Virus Response through USG Funding While Strengthening Global Health Security Systems
With funding from the U.S. Department of State, Project HOPE drives surveillance, preparedness, and frontline readiness through government-led systems
Project HOPE is working in close partnership with the Government of Ethiopia, with generous funding from the U.S. Department of State, to strengthen global health security and national outbreak preparedness – efforts that became especially critical following the detection of a Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in November 2025. While this program has been underway since December 2024, the existing collaboration and investments positioned Ethiopia’s health system to rapidly detect, respond to, and contain a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever with significant public health implications.
“Disease outbreaks like MVD demand robust surveillance, rapid detection mechanisms, coordination, and a well-resourced local health workforce to prevent transmission,” said Dr. Ebba Waktola, Project HOPE’s Chief of Party in Ethiopia. “Thanks to our longstanding partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and the U.S. government, Project HOPE and Ethiopian health authorities were well positioned to respond quickly and effectively, while we continue to build capacity and readiness for future outbreaks.”
Working through existing government systems rather than parallel mechanisms, Project HOPE is supporting the strengthening of core public health functions critical to outbreak readiness, while reinforcing coordination and alignment at national, regional, and community levels, including multisectoral One Health collaboration. Project HOPE has deployed 18 field vehicles across the region with personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control (IPC) and laboratory supplies. This approach supports coherent, non-duplicative response actions and strengthens Ethiopia’s ability to respond to current and future public health threats through sustainable, government-led systems.
As part of this effort, Project HOPE is strengthening operational readiness by helping surveillance and rapid response teams deploy quickly and operate effectively and safely in affected and at-risk areas. Project HOPE is also expanding frontline capacity through targeted training and ongoing mentorship; to date, more than 800 healthcare workers and rapid response team members have received trainings to improve disease surveillance, sample management, case management, IPC, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE). This includes support for safe clinical and laboratory operations, such as proper sample collection, packaging, transport, and testing in line with national guidance.
Project HOPE, in collaboration with the Department of State (DoS), is organizing a standing coordination meeting with other DoS-funded implementing partners supporting the MVD response to prevent duplication of efforts and promote the efficient and effective use of existing resources.
Project HOPE has decades of experience supporting governments to respond to infectious disease outbreaks and build resilient health systems. This partnership with the Government of Ethiopia reflects the organization’s continued commitment to advancing global health security by strengthening preparedness, protecting health workers, and ensuring rapid, effective responses when outbreaks occur. Interviews and additional information is available upon request. Direct inquiries to media@projecthope.org.
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This program is funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of Project HOPE and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
