Key facts
- Britain has pledged an additional £50 million to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The total UK contribution to the Ebola response now stands at £78 million.
- The current Ebola outbreak has resulted in over 3,000 deaths and 6,186 confirmed cases.
- Schools in high-risk Ebola zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo reopened with in-person classes.
- The World Health Organization is calling for an intensified response and increased funding to control the epidemic.
Britain has pledged over £50 million in new funding to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where confirmed deaths have surpassed 3,000 and cases exceed 6,000. This new funding brings the UK's total contribution to the response to £78 million.
Schools reopened this week in areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo hardest hit by Ebola, after authorities decided the risk of transmission was outweighed by the risk of pupils struggling with remote learning. Over 1,000 schools in Ituri province were classified as being in the "red zone," meaning a high-risk zone of active transmission. Ministry regulations had stipulated temporary distance learning, but schools opened as usual following a government review at the request of provincial authorities.
The epidemic, caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, has a mortality rate of 48.6%. Response efforts have been hampered by weak surveillance systems, insecurity, community resistance, and violent attacks on health workers and facilities. Parents expressed anxiety, with some stocking children's backpacks with disinfectant and urging adherence to protective measures like hand-washing and social distancing in classrooms.
The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that the Ebola response needs to be scaled up, noting that many deaths are occurring among individuals not on contact lists, indicating unknown chains of transmission. He urged the international community to increase and accelerate funding for the Congolese government-led Ebola response plan, which is seeking $1.3 billion.