OMM Newsroom
The World Bank has announced $93 million in new funding to reinforce the Ebola response in Africa as the Democratic Republic of Congo works to contain an ongoing outbreak, the bank said in a statement Wednesday.
Of the funding, $80 million will support disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, clinical case management, infection prevention and control, and community engagement in affected areas of Congo.
“Health emergencies don’t wait and neither did we,” World Bank Division Director for Congo Albert Zeufack said.
Congo has reported 9,066 confirmed Ebola cases, including 4,381 deaths, since the outbreak was declared in May, according to the latest update from the Health Ministry. The epidemic has affected seven provinces: Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and South-Ubangi.
The financing will also help maintain maternal and child health services in Ituri, the outbreak’s epicenter, to prevent increased risks for women and newborns. It is also intended to protect livelihoods in affected communities and help children continue attending school safely.
A further $13 million will support emergency preparedness, response and resilience in 11 countries across the region through the Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience program, the bank said.
In May, after Ebola outbreaks were declared in Congo and Uganda, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that 10 countries were at high risk: South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, the Republic of the Congo and Burundi.
Uganda has since been declared Ebola-free. Kenya reported its first imported case from Congo last week.
The World Bank Group has committed $426.6 million to the overall Ebola emergency response to date through existing and new grant and concessional financing.
