Kinshasa: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its partners launched an updated 180-day multisectoral response plan to intensify efforts against the ongoing Ebola outbreak, with funding needs estimated at US$ 1.3 billion.
With support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners, the plan was intended to serve as the operational roadmap for the response over the next six months.
According to the WHO Regional Office for Africa, the outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus had reached 6,342 reported cases and 3,072 deaths as of September 2. It has spread to 60 health zones across six provinces.
Health authorities are particularly concerned that a large proportion of deaths continue to occur in communities, often among people who had not previously been identified as contacts and had not reached health facilities before dying, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Every case detected too late, every contact missed, and every delay in mobilising resources translates into lives lost,” Anne Ancia, acting WHO representative in the DRC, said, calling for rapid and coordinated action on a larger scale.
DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said containing the outbreak required efforts beyond the health sector, involving communities, government agencies, partners and donors. “The government is fully mobilised to protect every Congolese,” Kamba said.
According to the WHO, full implementation of the revised plan would require an estimated 1.3 billion US dollars.
Damien Mama, United Nations resident coordinator in the DRC, said the Ebola response needed to be integrated into the broader humanitarian effort and supported by sufficient, flexible and predictable funding.
The Africa CDC also pledged continued support for national response efforts, including resource mobilisation, coordination with partners and greater involvement of communities.
The current outbreak, officially declared in May, has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC to date.
(IANS)
