UK boosts Ebola aid for DR Congo nearly threefold
The UK is nearly tripling its funding to combat the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, providing an additional £51.8 million as the virus continues to spread rapidly.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCD) minister Kirsty McNeill told MPs on Tuesday that the additional funding would take the UK’s total commitment to the response to £78.7 million, The Independent reported.
The announcement comes as the outbreak continues to outpace the response, killing 2,950 people since the epidemic was declared in mid-May, with 6,100 cases confirmed.
It is the fastest-spreading outbreak ever and the DRC’s deadliest on record, with the World Health Organisation warning that it is on track to surpass the deadliest anywhere – the 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people
UN health workers warned in August that the outbreak in the DRC is continuing to spread “exponentially”, with the wider response hampered in part by cuts to international aid by both the US and UK over the last 18 months.
Credit: Source link