By MONICA KAYOMBO/ Zambia,Lusaka,
AFRICA CDC seeks over US$300 million to contain the Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The Organisation says it has intensified efforts to contain the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda, warning that failure to act quickly could expose at least 11 neighbouring countries to the deadly disease.
Speaking yesterday during a virtual media briefing from the DRC, Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya said the continental body’s immediate focus is on containing the outbreak, accelerating access to vaccines and therapeutics, and mobilising resources to prevent further cross-border transmission.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has already spread across several health zones in eastern DRC while Uganda has recorded imported cases in Kampala.
Africa CDC said 129 confirmed cases and 18 deaths have so far been recorded in the DRC, affecting 14 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Uganda has confirmed eight cases and one death linked to an imported infection.
Dr Kaseya said Africa CDC and partners are implementing a unified continental response under the principle of “One Team, One Plan, One Budget and One Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.”
He said rapid response teams were deployed within days of the outbreak declaration while joint coordination structures involving governments, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners have already been established.
A major priority, according to Dr Kaseya, is accelerating research into Bundibugyo-specific vaccines and therapeutics as part of efforts to contain the outbreak before it escalates into a wider regional emergency.
“We are focusing on early containment because every uncontained week increases the risk of spread to neighbouring countries,” he said.
Africa CDC has now identified 10 high-risk countries that require urgent preparedness support because of trade routes, porous borders and population movement linked to affected areas. These countries are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Kenya.
The organisation said it requires an estimated US$318.9 million over the next six months for response operations in the DRC and Uganda, including surveillance, laboratory systems, treatment centres, infection prevention, case management and vaccine-related interventions.
An additional US$54 million is needed to strengthen preparedness and readiness in the 10 high-risk countries through border surveillance, laboratory capacity building, stockpiling and emergency planning.
Dr Kaseya warned that failure to contain the outbreak early could result in severe economic and social consequences similar to the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which cost affected economies an estimated US$53 billion.
“Every dollar invested in preparedness today prevents much larger economic and health losses tomorrow,” he said.
The continental body has since appealed to donors, member states and operational partners to urgently mobilise financial resources, support clinical trials for vaccines and therapeutics, and deploy emergency response teams where needed.
The organisation also urged communities to cooperate with health authorities, report suspected cases early and help counter misinformation surrounding the disease.
Africa CDC declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on 18 May following the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, while the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern two days earlier.
