The European Commission has announced €493 million in emergency support for the Ebola response, including funding for vaccines, treatment and health security measures.
The aid package will support humanitarian efforts in the Great Lakes region and Uganda, following calls at the G7 summit for a stronger international response to the Bundibugyo strain outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries.
"We continue to closely monitor the situation as it evolves, along with our partners, to ensure that this dangerous virus does not spread, including across borders," the leaders said.
The United States has already committed more than $700 million to the response effort, according to a U.S. health official, who also called on other countries to increase their contributions.
The funding is expected to support emergency response measures, surveillance systems and medical interventions aimed at controlling transmission in affected regions.
Efforts to develop vaccines are also gathering pace. Richard Hatchett, head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said candidate vaccines developed by the University of Oxford and Moderna could enter early-phase clinical trials as soon as July.
If the initial trials prove successful, field testing could begin within months, offering hope of a longer-term solution to contain the outbreak.
Health officials in Africa have warned that the situation could deteriorate rapidly if stronger measures are not implemented.
Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the outbreak has the potential to become one of the worst on record.
"If we don't stop the outbreak very soon, it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC," Jean Kaseya told a virtual meeting of African leaders.
He was referring to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, which killed more than 11,000 people, as well as a later outbreak in eastern Congo.
A key concern remains the ability to trace and monitor those who may have been exposed to the virus. Officials say tens of thousands of contacts have yet to be identified or followed up.
Current data shows that only around 12% of expected contacts are under active monitoring, raising fears that undetected chains of transmission could fuel further spread.
The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, is centred in eastern Congo, where ongoing insecurity and limited access to healthcare have complicated response efforts.
With international support now being mobilised and vaccine development advancing, health authorities stress that rapid and coordinated action will be critical to preventing a wider crisis.
Experts warn that cross-border movement across Central and East Africa could increase the risk of international spread, making regional co-operation and early intervention essential to containing the outbreak.
Georgian Post is no longer focused solely on delivering letters and parcels across Georgia. The state postal operator is transforming into a regional ...
Saudi Arabia has extended a $5 billion financial facility for Pakistan until December 2028, easing the country's external financing pressure as Islama...
Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming border security and prompting local authorities to cal...
French DJ and electropop musician Kavinsky, whose atmospheric sound shaped a generation of electronic music fans, has died at the age of 50, French authorities said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said its overnight strikes on Iran-backed group targets in Iraq were carried out in self-defence and warned it would take further military action if the groups launched new attacks against the kingdom.
Yemen warned the Houthis were seeking to replicate Iran's Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea, as U.S. President Donald Trump said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Tehran but warned strikes could resume if talks failed.
The U.S. military said it completed its latest wave of strikes on Iran, a two-hour operation that hit dozens of targets. Washington described the strikes as a "powerful response" to Iranian missile attacks targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East a day earlier.
A fire involving two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta port has prompted conflicting reports over whether the incident was caused by a drone strike or an onboard technical fault. Egyptian authorities said there were no casualties.
Cancer patients in Sudan are struggling to access life-saving treatment as soaring medication costs, power shortages and damaged hospital infrastructure deepen the country's healthcare crisis after more than three years of war.
The world risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic after international funding fell by nearly a fifth last year, according to a new report from UNAIDS, which warned that decades of progress against the disease could be reversed without renewed global support.
A global shift towards healthier diets, more efficient farming and reduced food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture-related land-use change by 85% by 2050, according to a study published last week in the journal Nature.
Venezuelan health authorities have confirmed that three people have died from hantavirus infections, while stressing there is no evidence that the disease is spreading between people in the country.
Up to five cups of caffeinated coffee a day appears to be safe for most adults and may even help protect against heart disease and stroke, according to new research. Experts say energy drinks are a different story and may increase heart risks.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment