DAKAR, May 28 (Reuters) – Funding pledges to contain the fast-growing Ebola outbreak in Africa have almost halved since Monday, the continent’s main health body said on Thursday.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.
In Congo, there have been 1,077 suspected cases and 246 suspected deaths, according to the latest data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
It also showed that the number of confirmed cases in Uganda has risen to eight from seven.
Director-General Jean Kaseya told a virtual press conference that Africa CDC’s partners on Monday had pledged almost $500 million to support the fight against the outbreak.
Since then, the figure has decreased to around $290 million after a number of donors changed their minds, he said, without naming them.
“People are dying! How can we come and say: we commit X million dollars, and the next day they are calling me to say no, it was a mistake?” Kaseya said.
“We know some big global health institutions are sitting with billions of dollars… How can you come to say: I want you to focus on this development program, and I have money for that, but I don’t have money for Ebola?”
As he was talking to reporters, Kaseya also praised the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) for agreeing to repurpose funds in order to support the response.
Health authorities are racing to contain the fast-growing outbreak on the African continent but they often encounter problems such as lack of basic supplies as well as mistrust from a community scarred by previous outbreaks.
The outbreak has prompted governments to step up travel-related containment measures. The United States imposed temporary entry restrictions on travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days, including green card holders.
Kaseya said he couldn’t understand why South Sudan, a country without Ebola-related cases or deaths, was placed under travel restrictions.
“We cannot afford to stop this outbreak without resources… and more importantly, we cannot afford to stop this outbreak with travel restrictions that Western countries start to impose to African countries.”
Ebola is a severe and often fatal disease transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects.
(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian;Editing by Alexander Winning and Toby Chopra)
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