UN seeks $1.1bn to fight Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
The United Nations is seeking an additional $1.1 billion to support the response to the rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning that existing resources could soon run out.
The appeal comes after the UN said its $2.1 billion humanitarian response plan is only about 48% funded, leaving a gap of roughly $1.1 billion. UN Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis warned that delays in funding are making the outbreak more difficult and expensive to contain.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, was declared in May and has become the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC. As of August 12, the World Health Organization reported 4,665 confirmed cases and 2,184 deaths in the country, with the disease spreading across 54 health zones in six provinces.
More recent health-authority figures cited by the UN put the number of infections above 5,200, with more than 2,500 deaths. The outbreak has been expanding rapidly, with health officials warning that transmission is occurring across a wide geographic area.
The response is being complicated by armed conflict, population displacement, attacks on healthcare facilities, limited access to affected communities and mistrust of health workers. WHO said these factors are making contact tracing and treatment increasingly difficult.
Another major challenge is that there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola. WHO and its partners are conducting clinical trials, while doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which is licensed for the Zaire strain, have been sent to the DRC for use in a clinical trial to determine whether it can provide protection against Bundibugyo virus.
The funding appeal comes as frontline health workers are also facing serious difficulties, including unpaid salaries and shortages of resources. Reports this week said some healthcare workers have threatened industrial action as the response becomes increasingly strained.
The UN is therefore urging international donors to close the funding gap quickly, warning that a prolonged shortage of resources could allow the outbreak to spread further within the DRC and potentially across borders.
