WHO: Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is a crisis, $115 million needed

Author, News Department

Place of work, BBC Russian Service

Published 7 minutes ago

Reading time: 3 min

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a crisis and said $115 million is needed to combat it over the next three months. The organization also stated that so far the structures involved in responding to the crisis have provided only 35% of the required funding.

According to WHO data as of Wednesday, 344 cases of Ebola infection have been confirmed in the DR Congo, of which 60 have been fatal. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, as well as one suspected case.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the international community is still lagging behind the development of the epidemic.

“The outbreak has gained serious momentum and we are still catching up with the situation. But under the leadership of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are gradually managing to catch up,” he said at a press conference.

The head of WHO also called on countries that have introduced travel restrictions in connection with the Ebola outbreak to lift these measures, as, according to Ghebreyesus, they interfere with the fight against the virus.

“Blanket travel restrictions imposed by some countries are disrupting supply chains and complicating the response to the outbreak,” Ghebreyesus said.

WHO recommends health controls at exits - at airports, seaports and border crossings - to prevent the spread of infection outside the country, but not to impede the delivery of aid and health services on the ground.

Spread of the virus

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The disease was initially identified in the DR Congo province of Ituri, but subsequently cases of infection were also confirmed in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, and then in Uganda.