GENEVA: The UN is releasing around US$60 million from an emergency fund to help contain an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and deploying more staff, its aid chief said today.
“We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak,” said Tom Fletcher on X.
“These are tough operating environments for lifesaving work. We face conflict and high population movement,” Fletcher said.
Experts believe the Bundibugyo strain of the virus – for which there is no vaccine – circulated undetected for around two months in Congo’s Ituri province before being identified last week.
The outbreak has so far resulted in 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases.