The World Health Organisation has released an additional $3.4 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to curb the expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the United Nations has confirmed.
Addressing journalists at UN headquarters in New York, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the epidemic had reached several urban areas, including Bunia, Goma and Kampala. He also noted significant population movements in the DRC, where the outbreak is concentrated, as a major challenge.
The latest allocation brings WHO’s total emergency funding for the response to $3.9 million.
In a related development, the World Food Programme warned that the Ebola crisis could exacerbate food insecurity unless access constraints are addressed and assistance is scaled up. Nearly 10 million people in eastern DRC are already facing crisis or emergency levels of hunger, with 26.5 million across the country experiencing acute food insecurity.
WFP said it is working closely with the DRC government, WHO and other partners to facilitate the movement of responders, medical supplies and essential cargo to hard-to-reach areas. Emergency food and nutrition assistance is being planned for patients, vulnerable families, contact cases and affected households.
The agency has already helped transport 40 aid workers and critical medical equipment to frontline areas. Without sustained support, officials warned, the most vulnerable remain exposed to both disease and hunger.
