Key facts
- The U.S. will provide an additional $38 million for Ebola response efforts.
- Total U.S. funding for Ebola response now exceeds $200 million.
- The CDC warns the current outbreak in the DRC could match or surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.
- The current outbreak in the DRC has resulted in 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths.
- The U.S. is collaborating with the DRC and Uganda on a rapid and comprehensive response.
The United States announced it would provide an additional $38 million in funding for Ebola response efforts, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could match or surpass the scale of the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak if strong public health interventions are not implemented. This latest contribution brings the total U.S. commitment to over $200 million. The State Department stated it is collaborating closely with the CDC, the DRC, and Uganda to ensure a rapid and comprehensive response. The CDC published three scientific reports on the outbreak to help mobilize international resources. The current outbreak in the DRC has recorded 344 confirmed cases and 60 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Modeled scenarios suggest that without sufficient patient isolation, the outbreak could become one of the largest ever documented. The U.S. is also building a facility in Kenya to quarantine asymptomatic U.S. citizens exposed to the virus.