UN chief appeals for $1bn in Ebola aid for DR Congo

n n

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres appealed Thursday for $1.1 billion to fully fund an aid plan for combating the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

n

The plan, costing $2.1 billion in total, has received a major contribution from the United States but “without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money, just when they need to expand,” he said.

n

The programme is 48 per cent funded and “current resources will last weeks, not months,” Guterres added.

n

“That is why I am appealing for the remaining $1.1 billion…, recognising that even more will be needed in the future.”

n

There have been more than 5,600 confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC, including more than 2,700 deaths, since the outbreak was declared on May 15.

n

Driven by the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus — for which there are no vaccines or treatments — the outbreak is the biggest in the DRC’s history.

n

PUNCH Online reported that a 2018-2020 outbreak in the DRC, previously considered the country’s deadliest, killed 2,299 people out of 3,381 confirmed cases, according to World Health Organisation figures based on Congolese data.

n

Difficulties persist, including refusals of testing and resistance in some communities, which hinders surveillance and control activities,” Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated.

n

The WHO has said efforts to ramp up the response and reach communities where the virus was spreading were under way, while the European Union on Tuesday announced it was sending testing kits worth 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million).

n

AFP

n n