The United Nations has expanded its response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), releasing emergency funding to strengthen preparedness in Burundi and South Sudan amid growing concerns over cross-border transmission.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric disclosed this at a news briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York.
He said the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, approved an $8 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help both countries prepare for a possible outbreak.
Although no Ebola cases have been confirmed in Burundi or South Sudan, Dujarric said the risk remains high because of frequent cross-border movement with the DRC, where the outbreak was declared in mid-May.
He noted that both countries had activated their national Ebola preparedness and response plans.
According to him, the CERF funding will strengthen disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, infection prevention and control, while improving readiness to detect, investigate and contain Ebola cases.
The funds will also help protect frontline health workers, maintain essential health services and prevent community transmission.
Dujarric said more than 51,000 people in the DRC had already received food assistance since the outbreak was declared.
However, he warned that humanitarian operations remain severely underfunded.
“The UN and its humanitarian partners have not received the funding required to sustain the 2026 response in the DRC and South Sudan,” he said.
He renewed OCHA’s appeal to donors to increase support for life-saving humanitarian assistance, particularly in South Sudan, where a major humanitarian emergency persists.
Dujarric also announced additional support for Uganda, where the UN system, under the leadership of Resident Coordinator Leonard Zulu, is strengthening Ebola preparedness.
He said CERF had approved an additional $4 million, building on the $3.5 million already repurposed in May.
The funding will support surveillance, laboratory services, case management, infection prevention and control, logistics, emergency protection, risk communication and community engagement as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
Source: NAN
