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Nigeria responds with emergency funds as Ebola death toll rises in DRC
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Disasters & Emergencies

Nigeria responds with emergency funds as Ebola death toll rises in DRC

From Premium Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is rapidly escalating, with 89 deaths reported in the past week.
  • The Africa CDC warns of growing community transmission and strained treatment capacity, with no licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.
  • Nigeria has intensified surveillance and released emergency funds to bolster its preparedness, despite having no confirmed cases.

The Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is worsening, with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reporting 89 deaths in the last week alone. This surge has heightened concerns over widespread community transmission and the limited capacity of treatment centers, many of which are operating at near full occupancy.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa CDC, stressed the urgent need for health authorities to simultaneously expand treatment capacity and improve early case detection to contain the virus. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, presents significant challenges as there is currently no specific vaccine or licensed treatment for this variant. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Authorities must build more treatment capacity while detecting cases sooner. Early detection prevents patients from needing hospital admission.

— Jean KaseyaDirector-General of the Africa CDC, outlining necessary measures to curb virus transmission.

Ongoing violence and humanitarian crises in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces are severely hindering response efforts, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus. Health workers face insecurity and community mistrust, complicating contact tracing, especially since only about 30 percent of new cases are identified from known contacts. A significant funding gap also persists, despite international pledges, raising fears the outbreak could spread further.

Meanwhile, Nigeria, which has not recorded any confirmed Ebola cases, is enhancing its surveillance and emergency response measures due to the high risk of importation. President Bola Tinubu recently inaugurated a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness. The government has also authorized the release of ₦10 billion in emergency funds to strengthen the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health emergency response activities.

The WHO, in collaboration with the Africa CDC, has requested $518 million for a joint continental preparedness and response plan.

— Tedros GhebreyesusWHO Director-General warning about the funding gap for the Ebola response.
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Originally published by Premium Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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