International Development Secretary calls on other countries to urgently help deal with the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart has called on other countries to urgently help deal with the ongoing, deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during a visit to the country.

The outbreak – the world’s second worst ever – has killed over 1,600 people in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DRC, since it started in August last year.

During his visit, the Secretary of State talked to Ebola survivors and saw how current patients were receiving treatment in a UK aid funded clinic in Katwa, near the city of Butembo.

He also saw close contacts of Ebola patients receiving a vaccination, which funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) has helped to develop.

More than 150,000 people in the DRC and neighbouring countries have so far received the vaccine during the current outbreak.

The UK and the US are among the biggest donors to the crisis, which is the first major Ebola outbreak to take place in a conflict zone anywhere in the world, with armed groups operating in the region hampering response efforts.

But the International Development Secretary now wants other G7 members to step up to help meet the funding shortfall which the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners face as they try to contain the disease.

He raised the issue with the development ministers of the G7 countries at a summit in Paris last Thursday (July 4), before flying out to the DRC to see first-hand the devastating impact of the lethal disease.

He called on France, Japan and others to offer more financial support and will continue to push for further funding from other countries in meetings across Europe in the coming weeks.

As well as helping to develop the Ebola vaccine, the UK has provided funding to partners on the ground including the WHO, UNICEF and the International Federation of Red Cross (IRFC) and Red Crescent Societies.

The UK is also the largest donor when it comes to helping neighbouring countries better prepare for potential spread outside the DRC. This includes through the vaccination and training of health workers, as well as raising awareness of the disease and its effects.

Original source: DFID
Published on 08 July 2019