CDC to tap $107m in emergency funding for Ebola response in DRC and Uganda

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will tap $107m in emergency funding to support the Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Dr Satish K Pillai, incident manager for the CDC’s Ebola response, said the outbreak, now the third largest on record, is approaching 1,000 confirmed cases across 31 health zones in the DRC and that there are 31 cases in Kampala, Uganda.

The outbreak of Bundibugyo viral disease began roughly one month ago along the western DRC border and the eastern Uganda border. The CDC has 23 field staff supporting disease investigations and 125 staff across the DRC and Uganda, and it holds twice-weekly calls with US World Cup host cities.

To date, local health authorities have mostly dealt with illnesses typical of large, Super Bowl-style events, such as heat-related conditions. African health officials warn the outbreak could become the worst on record and take a year to contain at current infection rates.

Democratic Republic of the Congo; Uganda, Kampala

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