WHO unveils $518 million strategy to curb Africa Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization reportedly announced a $518 million, six-month joint strategy to fight Ebola on Friday, calling for political commitment to halt the transmission of an outbreak that is already the fourth largest on record.

The strategy seeks to help the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjacent Uganda contain their outbreaks while urging other countries to prepare for potential cases through certain measures such as border surveillance, according to the details revealed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

In this regard, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The outbreak is fast and we are still playing catch-up.”

“Containing Ebola requires political commitment, sustained finances and trust in engaging the communities.”

According to the Africa CDC Uganda, there have been 381 confirmed cases in Congo and 62 confirmed deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“This outbreak is very serious if you compare with previous Bundibugyo outbreaks, this is the most serious outbreak we have.”

Testing has been a significant challenge as Ebola tests initially failed to determine the Bundibugyo strain, crucially delaying containment efforts.

Franklin Graham working in Congo’s Ituri province said: “It's taking several days to a week or more. And that’s frustrating.”

The WHO confirmed on Friday that it had received three armoured vehicles from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.