The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed about 2,700 lives, with roughly 500 new infections being reported weekly, according to the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has appealed for an additional $1.1bn to strengthen efforts to contain the outbreak, warning that insufficient funding and insecurity could further worsen the crisis.
Speaking to journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York, Guterres said the humanitarian response was only 48 per cent funded, with existing resources potentially running out within weeks.
“The challenge is immense,” the UN chief said, urging the international community to increase its support for the response.
He added, “We know how to contain Ebola, how to interrupt transmission and how to save lives.”
Guterres, however, warned that a lack of international attention could undermine efforts to control the disease.
“But we must also overcome another virus: the virus of indifference,” he said.
The UN chief further cautioned that essential operations could run out of funding at a critical point in the response.
“Without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money at the very moment they need to ramp up,” he warned.
The World Health Organisation said containment measures had helped slow transmission but had not yet succeeded in reversing the overall trend.
According to the WHO, insecurity, population displacement and weaknesses in the health system were making the response more difficult, particularly in areas affected by years of conflict.
More than 12 million people in the affected areas require humanitarian assistance and protection, while about one million people have been displaced in Ituri Province alone.
The insecurity has also affected health workers, with more than 40 reportedly killed during the response. Treatment centres and ambulances have also come under attack.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said response partners had deployed 35 additional safe and dignified burial teams and 286 community-based teams involving more than 2,500 volunteers and civil protection personnel.
The WHO has deployed more than 260 experts and delivered over 330 tonnes of medical and logistical supplies to support treatment, surveillance and containment.
The World Food Programme is assisting frontline operations and medical evacuations, while the International Organisation for Migration has screened more than one million people across the region.
The IOM has also introduced a preparedness plan covering 11 countries amid concerns over possible cross-border transmission, particularly into neighbouring Burundi.
Although Burundi has not recorded a confirmed case, the WHO said authorities were strengthening laboratory capacity, response procedures and public awareness because of the country’s proximity to affected areas in the DR Congo.
Meanwhile, Uganda has been declared free of its Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak after recording no new confirmed infection for 42 consecutive days.
The Ugandan outbreak recorded 20 cases and two deaths.
The 42-day period is the internationally recognised benchmark for declaring an Ebola outbreak over, as it represents twice the maximum incubation period of the virus.
