UK’s £21m for Ebola crisis currently just 5% of total sent during last massive outbreak
Britain has so far committed just 5 percent of the aid it spent fighting the last major Ebola outbreak to containment efforts for the latest fast-growing crisis.
The UK has pledged £21 million for the current outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has spread to Uganda; this figure was £427 million in response to the West African outbreak in 2014-15. This comes at a time when the UK is cutting billions of pounds from aid spending as the budget falls from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNP) to fund increased defense spending.
The 2014/15 outbreak, the largest on record, involved more than 20,000 cases and 10,000 deaths over more than a year; The current crisis includes more than 1,000 confirmed cases and nearly 300 suspected deaths since the outbreak was confirmed almost two weeks ago. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and humanitarian organizations have expressed concerns that the disease will outpace response efforts. Health officials also warned that an outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, is spreading into a region already destabilized by active conflict, mass displacement and deepening distrust of aid workers.
Beccy Cooper, a Labor MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health and Safety, said the lessons of the 2014/15 pandemic were being ignored. He said: “Bold action early saves lives. Ebola does not respect borders. Without adequate funding for the international response, you lose the ability to trace contacts, treat patients and protect frontline health workers. The virus exploits every gap we leave behind. What started as a containable epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will quickly evolve into something much more difficult to contain.”
WHO declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern last week. More than 1,200 suspected and confirmed cases and at least 255 suspected deaths have been reported in three provinces in eastern Congo, where conflicts involving Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and other armed groups continue despite international mediation efforts. Uganda, which has reported seven confirmed cases, closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday for at least four weeks.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that violence was hindering efforts to control the disease. He said: “Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo now faces a catastrophic outbreak of disease and conflict. We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while the bombs are falling.”
Aid groups say the response has already been constrained by funding pressures and broader cuts to aid spending on disease surveillance, following Britain’s decision and Donald Trump slashing the US aid budget after returning to the White House. The capacity of UN refugee agency facilities in Uganda’s West Nile region, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo, has more than doubled.
Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s country director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was in Liberia in October 2014 at the height of the West African crisis. By comparison, he said, the current response is driven by what is allocated rather than what is needed. He told The Independent: “As opposed to increasing [into the country] The response to all the people, PPE and other equipment we need is being more measured and we are making sure we only spend what is allocated. “This epidemic needs an unapologetic approach.”
During the 2014/15 pandemic, Britain deployed military planners, NHS staff and emergency treatment centers as part of a £427 million package focused on Sierra Leone. This time, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesman said the UK had committed “up to £21 million at this early stage of the response”. The FCDO is believed to be still assessing what a long-term response might entail, and this number is expected to rise.
Aid workers say insecurity is hindering almost every aspect of the response. Protesters set fire to patient tents in Ituri province last week, and attacks on medical facilities disrupted surveillance and treatment operations. Health officials warn that without sustained funding, capacity to trace contacts, treat patients and protect front-line workers will fall short of what the pandemic requires.
Andrew Mitchell, former secretary of state for international development, said the UK was right to contribute but warned its capacity to grow was diminishing. He told The Independent: “WHO has exhausted its funds but is recovering and we must do what we can to help. But if the epidemic spreads to countries with which we have close relations, I fear we will not be able to help where previously our assistance, support and expertise would have been immediate.”
An FCDO spokesperson said: “We are working with international partners, including WHO and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to support a coordinated African-led response and strengthen surveillance, containment and preparedness. The UK has already committed up to £21 million in this early phase of the response.”
“The UK is committed to tackling global health challenges not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us by supporting global stability, growth, UK jobs and the NHS.”
“By taking action now, we have the best chance of saving lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo and helping fight the spread in the region and globally.”
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
