UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for an additional 1.1 billion dollars to strengthen the humanitarian response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Guterres made the appeal at a press encounter on the outbreak at the UN headquarters in New York.
He said the 2.13 billion dollars humanitarian needs and response plan was only 48 per cent funded, warning that available resources would last only weeks.
According to him, 5,713 Ebola cases had been confirmed in the DRC as of Aug. 25, with 2,744 deaths recorded.
“With about 500 new cases being reported every week, the outbreak continues to expand across a vast area, with women and children being hit especially hard,” he said.
Guterres described the situation as the largest Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s history and a public health emergency in one of the world’s most fragile settings.
He said decades of conflict, particularly in Ituri Province, had displaced about one million people and weakened access to healthcare, food and other basic services.
“Across the region, more than 12 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection,” he said.
The UN chief said overstretched health systems, weak infrastructure and insecurity were making it difficult to reach affected communities.
He said more than 40 health workers had lost their lives in the response, while others had been infected.
“Treatment centres and ambulances have been attacked. Humanitarian personnel face both the threat of the virus and the threat of violence,” he said.
Guterres said the DRC Government was leading the response with support from the UN, WHO and other partners.
He said the UN had appointed a Senior Ebola Coordinator and was focusing on community engagement, disease surveillance, treat dollarsment, safe and dignified burials and preventing further transmission.
He added that preparedness and coordination were being strengthened with South Sudan and the Central African Republic because of cross-border movements.
Guterres commended the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for its role in mobilising regional expertise and support.
He said the UN had provided more than 80 million dollars through pooled funds and developed the 2.13 billion dollars response plan, but warned that funding remained inadequate.
“Without additional funding, vital operations will run out of money just when they need to expand,” he said.
Guterres said Ebola could be contained because the world had the knowledge and tools to stop transmission and save lives.
He, however, urged the international community to overcome what he described as “the virus of indifference” by providing greater political attention and resources to the crisis. (NAN)
Tags: Ebola death toll UN chief
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