The United Nations has allocated approximately $60 million in emergency funding and is deploying additional personnel to help contain a worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Announcing the response on Friday, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said urgent action was needed to prevent the outbreak from spreading further in what he described as a particularly challenging environment.
“We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak,” Fletcher said in a post on X, noting that response efforts are being complicated by ongoing conflict and high levels of population movement in affected areas.
Health experts believe the outbreak, involving a rare Ebola strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine, circulated undetected for around two months in the eastern province of Ituri before being identified last week.
The delayed detection has raised concerns among health authorities, who are now working to track infections and strengthen containment measures in affected communities.
According to the latest figures, the outbreak has resulted in 670 suspected cases and 160 suspected deaths.
The emergency funding is expected to support critical response operations, while additional U.N. staff will be deployed to assist local and international efforts aimed at limiting transmission and providing lifesaving support.
The outbreak has emerged in a region already facing significant humanitarian challenges, with insecurity and population displacement adding further obstacles to disease control efforts.
