The Gates Foundation has announced an initial $15 million emergency funding package to support efforts to contain the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak affecting communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The foundation, in a statement released on Sunday, expressed concern over the outbreak and the risk of cross-border transmission.
The intervention comes days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), citing rising infections, deaths and the possibility of wider international spread.
According to the WHO, the outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare variant for which there are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments.
As of 16 May, health authorities had reported hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths, mainly in eastern DRC, while Uganda also confirmed cases linked to cross-border transmission.
