The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to allocate $107 million in emergency funding to support the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. According to officials, the continued outbreak in the DRC, now the third largest on record, requires ‘strong immediate support,’ despite the global risk remaining low. The outbreak has attracted international attention, particularly with the Fifa World Cup currently underway in Canada, Mexico, and the US, drawing visitors from around the world. The CDC has reported 837 confirmed cases in the DRC and 19 confirmed cases in Uganda as of June 15, with 198 deaths across both countries. The outbreak of Bundibugyo viral disease, a rare zoonotic species of Ebola, began roughly a month ago along the western border of the DRC and the eastern border of Uganda. African health officials have warned that the outbreak could become the worst on record and take a year to contain at current infection rates. The CDC has 23 field staff supporting disease investigations and 125 staff members across the DRC and Uganda, with twice-weekly calls with US World Cup host cities to monitor the situation.
Despite the low global risk, the US is one of 22 countries that have imposed travel restrictions on people coming from the affected countries, which have been criticized for impeding the response to the outbreak. The emergency funding from the CDC will add to the roughly $910 million already pledged to combat the Ebola outbreak, less than 10% of which has been received from donors, according to African health leaders. The CDC’s efforts are focused on controlling the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, as well as ensuring domestic readiness to respond in the unlikely event of cases.
