The United Kingdom announced on Thursday additional aid of up to 20 million pounds sterling, or about 26,87 million dollars, to help contain the Ebola outbreak affecting eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The British Foreign Office indicated that these funds will be used to support health and humanitarian efforts as the epidemic continues to spread in the region.
According to figures released Wednesday, approximately 600 suspected cases and 139 presumed deaths have been recorded in the DRC. Health authorities have confirmed 51 cases after laboratory testing.
Two confirmed cases have also been detected in neighbouring Uganda, raising fears of a regional spread of the virus.
The World Health Organization estimates that the outbreak is likely to continue spreading in the coming weeks. Humanitarian organizations have stepped up their operations in the city of Bunia, in Ituri province, where health authorities are trying to contain the transmission of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
This new British aid comes at a time when local medical infrastructure is already under severe pressure and Congolese authorities are calling for increased international mobilization to prevent a worsening of the health crisis.
Community
Comments
Comments are open, but protected against spam. Initial posts and comments containing links undergo manual review.
Be the first to comment on this article.