World Health Organization and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a six-month Ebola response plan aimed at containing ongoing outbreaks in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda amid rising concerns over the spread of the virus across the region.
The emergency response strategy, unveiled on Saturday, carries a budget of $319 million and will cover all 55 African Union member states.
According to officials, $265 million of the total funding has been allocated directly to outbreak response operations in the DRC and Uganda, while the remaining $54 million will support preparedness measures in 10 African countries considered to be at high risk of transmission.
Health authorities in eastern Congo have already intensified preventive measures as efforts to contain the outbreak continue.
In Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the epicentre of the current outbreak, health workers were seen over the weekend disinfecting public markets and high-traffic areas in a bid to reduce the spread of infection.
Churches in some affected communities have also introduced mandatory hand-washing measures, while the use of face masks is being encouraged during gatherings and religious services.
However, authorities in Ituri are facing growing resistance and mistrust from sections of the local population.
On Sunday, a group of young men reportedly stormed the Mongbwalu General Hospital demanding the release of the bodies of two relatives believed to have died from Ebola-related complications.
The incident comes amid rising tensions in the region, where angry residents have attacked at least three healthcare facilities treating Ebola patients within the past week.
Health officials say the current outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
According to the latest update from the Congolese health ministry released on Saturday, the outbreak has already claimed 204 lives in the DRC.
The World Health Organization also disclosed that more than 900 suspected Ebola cases have so far been identified across the country, raising fears of further spread if containment efforts face continued disruption.
The latest developments have renewed concerns about the vulnerability of conflict-affected regions in Central and East Africa to infectious disease outbreaks, particularly where insecurity, public mistrust, and weak healthcare infrastructure complicate emergency response efforts.
TNAM
Edited By Egwu Patience Nnennaya
