The United States has announced a $250 million funding package to support efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak spreading across parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, as health authorities race to prevent the virus from crossing further across the region.
The funding comes at a critical moment, with the World Health Organization preparing to convene an emergency committee meeting as the Ebola death toll continues to rise, reaching 131 fatalities. A panel of experts led by the WHO is expected to review vaccine options and discuss additional response measures aimed at slowing the outbreak before it escalates further.
Regional governments have also stepped up surveillance and prevention efforts. In Rwanda, authorities have tightened health screening measures at border points with both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, increasing monitoring of travelers and reinforcing emergency response systems amid growing concern over cross-border transmission.
Infections have also appeared in neighbouring Uganda, raising concern over the spread of this rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
Concern over the “scale and speed” of the outbreak was raised by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.
The Centre for African Disease Control (CDC) has stated that, it is monitoring an outbreak of Ebola disease in remote areas of the DRC and Uganda.
Health official has said that the new US support will help strengthen treatment capacity, disease surveillance, vaccination campaigns and emergency response operations in affected areas. The outbreak has already raised alarm among international health agencies because of the movement of people across borders in the Great Lakes region.
Meanwhile, Germany is preparing to receive and treat an American citizen who contracted Ebola while working in the DRC, according to the German Ministry of Health.
“US authorities requested assistance from the German government in treating a US citizen infected with Ebola in Congo,” a ministry spokesperson told AFP.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Monday that the individual (Doctor) tested positive for the virus late Sunday after being exposed during work-related activities in the DRC.
The latest developments have renewed global attention on Ebola preparedness, especially in East and Central Africa, where governments remain on high alert to avoid a wider regional health crisis.
Concern over the outbreak has grown because the Bundibugyo strain has caused only two previous outbreaks in Africa, and the current outbreak is already deadlier than both.
