The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus upgraded the risk assessment of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo, calling it a “spreading rapidly,” endangering the health of everyone residing in the country.
He stated the UN health agency was revising upward to “very high” its assessment of the risk within Congo.
The risk of Ebola outbreak remains significantly higher at a regional level, while it is lowered worldwide.
The WHO chief mentioned that 82 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, “but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger.”
Nearly 750 suspected cases have been reported yet, with 177 people already passed away after contracting the disease. The situation in neighboring Uganda is “stable” with two cases confirmed in people who had traveled from Congo, with one death.
The US has pledged $23 million in funding to bolster the response in Congo and Uganda, and said it would also fund the establishment of nearly 50 Ebola treatment clinics in the affected regions of Congo and Uganda.
Ugandan authorities said they were not aware of any treatment centers being set up by the U.S.
The UN stated it released $60 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the response in Congo and across the region on Friday.
