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Although the UN and its partners have stepped up their response, There remains a funding gap of $1.1 billion as Congo grapples with the fastest growing countries Ebola outbreak on record.
During the first 100 days of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014-2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 635 cases and 399 deaths across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In the first 100 days since the Bundibugyo DRC Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15, there were 5,515 cases and 2,642 deaths.
As of Monday, local authorities had reported 6,100 confirmed cases and 2,950 deathswith more than 5,000 cases recorded in Ituri Province alone.
“The response is increasing and improving, but this virus is moving faster,” aid chief Tom Fletcher said. “And Unless we improve immediately, more lives will be lost and the threat will grow.”
Cautious success in Uganda
Fletcher praised the Congolese Government and UN partners for their efforts to contain the epidemic.
He pointed to Uganda, where the WHO last week announced the end of the country’s latest Ebola outbreak.
Uganda succeeded in containing the virus through rapid case detection and confirmation, contact tracing, isolation and clinical care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and strengthening surveillance, according to WHO Africa.
United Nations migration agency, IOMalso have conducted nearly 23 million health checks in Congo and neighboring countrieshelps monitor population movements, identify potential cases and reduce the risk of transmission across national borders, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
Fletcher has allocated more than $57 million in UN donor aid Central Emergency Response Fund on Ebola response and preparedness efforts in Congo and neighboring countries.
But this response comes against the backdrop of an already serious humanitarian crisis, particularly in eastern Congo, where conflict between government forces and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels has displaced communities and complicated efforts to reach people in need.
“This is not just a health emergency,” Fletcher said. “This is also a humanitarian emergency applied to many existing humanitarian emergencies.”
UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUSCOrecently responded to clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces, Ugandan soldiers and suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces, an ISIS-affiliated rebel group based in the east – the epicenter of the record-high outbreak.
MONUSCO is also expanding programs that have helped more than 60,000 people safely access agricultural land and schools in the Djugu region, supporting protection efforts and helping create conditions for displaced families to return home, Dujarric said.
The world must prioritize its response to Ebola
Fletcher urged the government to ensure humanitarian workers can reach people in need and put the fight against the outbreak on the international agenda, which he said was essential to preventing the spread of the virus.
Closing the funding gap and controlling the outbreak requires sustained political commitment and a coordinated international response, he said.
“We have experience, tools and extraordinary people who are risking their lives to stop this epidemic. What we need now is political will, access and resources,” said Fletcher. “We’ve beaten Ebola before, and we can do it again.”
