Humanitarian agencies and United Nations partners have launched an appeal for 15.8 million dollars to sustain efforts aimed at containing the Ebola outbreak in Uganda through August, warning that significant financial support is still required.
Although 3.1 million dollars has already been secured, a funding shortfall of 12.7 million dollars remains, according to officials involved in the response.
Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric outlined ongoing interventions under Uganda’s national Ebola response plan.
He said several UN agencies are actively supporting the country’s containment measures. UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are assisting with public awareness campaigns, border health checks, disease surveillance and services for refugees.
Dujarric added that the World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered 33 metric tonnes of emergency relief materials to Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo to support response efforts in the region.
Earlier in the week, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Uganda and held discussions with government officials, UN representatives and development partners.
During the visit, he reaffirmed WHO’s support for Uganda’s response activities and praised the collaboration among stakeholders working to curb the spread of the disease.
The WHO chief also encouraged Ugandan authorities to review their decision to shut the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing the importance of coordinated regional action in tackling the outbreak.
He made the appeal while visiting an Ebola treatment and isolation facility in Kampala, where he commended the country’s swift and organised response to the health emergency.
WHO has classified the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The outbreak is centred in Ituri Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), 515 of the country’s 544 confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the province.
Uganda has so far confirmed 19 Ebola infections, with most cases linked to individuals who crossed into the country from neighbouring Congo. Health authorities and international partners continue to intensify surveillance, treatment and prevention measures to stop further transmission and prevent the disease from spreading across borders.