Funding pledges for Ebola outbreak almost halved, Africa CDC says
DAKAR, May 28 (Reuters) – Funding commitments to contain the fast-growing Ebola outbreak in Africa have nearly halved since Monday, the continent’s main health agency said on Thursday.
The World Health Organization has declared the emergence of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
According to the latest data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), there have been 1,077 suspected cases and 246 suspected deaths in Congo.
It was also seen that the number of confirmed cases in Uganda increased from seven to eight.
Africa CDC’s partners on Monday committed almost $500 million to support the fight against the epidemic, Director-General Jean Kaseya said at the virtual press conference.
That figure has since dropped to about $290 million after some donors changed their minds, he said, but did not name them.
“People are dying! How can we come and say: We committed X million dollars and the next day they call me and say no, it was a mistake?” Kaseya said.
“We know that some of the major global health organizations are sitting with billions of dollars… How can you say, this ‘I want you to focus on the development program and I have money for that but I don’t have money for Ebola?’
While speaking to reporters, Kaseya also praised the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for agreeing to redeploy funds to support the intervention.
Health authorities are racing to contain the rapidly growing epidemic on the African continent, but they often face problems such as a lack of basic supplies and distrust in a community that has been devastated by previous epidemics.
The epidemic has led governments to increase travel restriction measures. The United States has imposed temporary entry restrictions on travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days, including green card holders.
Kaseya said he could not understand why South Sudan, which has no Ebola-related cases or deaths, was subject to travel restrictions.
“We cannot afford to stop this epidemic without the resources… and more importantly, we cannot afford to stop this epidemic with the travel restrictions that Western countries are starting to impose on African countries.”
Ebola is a serious and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids or contaminated objects.
(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Alexander Winning and Toby Chopra)
