The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced $107 million in emergency funding to help contain an expanding outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, warning it could become one of the worst on record.
The funding is intended to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, border health controls and community response efforts as health agencies race to limit further spread.
Health officials report that the outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has reached 875 confirmed cases and resulted in 202 deaths.
The World Health Organization previously declared the outbreak an international emergency, and experts have warned it could surpass the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, which caused more than 11,000 deaths.
The scale and pace of transmission have intensified concerns among regional and international health authorities, particularly given the virus’s movement across borders.
Despite large financial pledges, actual disbursement remains limited. African health authorities say that of roughly $910 million pledged globally to support response efforts, less than $90 million has been released.
The African Union has contributed around $80 million, while the United States has positioned itself as the largest single donor, urging other countries to accelerate funding delivery.
Officials warn that delays in financing risk undermining containment efforts in both high-transmission and neighbouring regions.
CDC teams are actively deployed across affected regions, with more than 125 staff working in the DRC and Uganda. This includes epidemiologists, laboratory specialists and public health advisers supporting national health ministries.
Dr Satish Pillai, who is leading the CDC’s Ebola response incident team, said the agency is working on multiple fronts, including improving community acceptance of surveillance measures, supporting safe burial practices, and strengthening diagnostic capacity in laboratories.
The agency is also assisting with preparedness planning in provinces west of the outbreak zone to reduce the risk of wider spread.
In Uganda, CDC teams are supporting border health screening and airport monitoring systems.
Officials emphasised that the risk of Ebola reaching the United States remains low, though contingency plans are in place in the event of an imported case.
The CDC is also coordinating with U.S. cities hosting upcoming major international events, including World Cup-related preparations, to ensure readiness for multiple potential public health threats, including Ebola, measles and heat-related illnesses.
Weekly coordination calls are being held with health authorities in 11 host cities to align preparedness and response planning.
Health experts continue to warn that without faster funding, stronger cross-border coordination and sustained community engagement, the outbreak could expand further across the region.
Efforts are now focused on preventing transmission into neighbouring provinces and strengthening early detection systems before the virus spreads beyond current containment zones.
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), ap...
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced the beginning of a major military operation against...
A committee overseeing the Mecca defence pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh on Monday, 5 O...
The co-pilot of Israel bound flydubai flight attempted to carry out a “terrorist attack” with an axe during the flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday.
Hammam al-Hammami, the Flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing the captain of an Israel-bound flight on Wednesday in a suspected terrorist attack, was banned from flying by Oman over concerns about his radical views, U.S. media reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Two Iranian nationals have been charged in Britain with preparing a suspected terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in northern England, police said on Friday (2 October).
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
A major bridge across the Dnipro river in Kyiv was hit in a Russian air attack on Saturday, the city's mayor, Vitali Klitschko said, as strikes on the capital's infrastructure continue.
A committee overseeing the Mecca defence pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will meet in Riyadh on Monday, 5 October, to discuss regional developments and the alliance’s institutionalisation, Türkiye's foreign ministry said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to lead the administration’s latest effort to shape policy on artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Wall Street Journal.
Brazilians are voting on Sunday (04 October) in the first round of a closely contested general election, following a campaign shaped by corruption scandals, economic concerns and accusations of foreign interference.
The sound of air raid sirens and explosions rang out in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Sunday (4 October) as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived for a visit to show support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid escalating Russian attacks.
An alleged 2024 rape case involving seven former members of Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity has been reopened after the alleged victim, known anonymously as Jane Doe in court documents, filed a civil lawsuit accusing the men of drugging and gang-raping her.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment