Two-thirds of funding pledged for Africa’s Ebola response has yet to be disbursed, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned Monday, calling for urgent action to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak.
International partners committed approximately $2.9 billion in cash and in-kind assistance to the response, according to figures released by Africa CDC in September.
“This outbreak reminds us that health security is shared. For the first time, Ebola has reached three African regions. Yet, two-thirds of the pledged response funds are still pending,” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya wrote on US social media platform X.
The current outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus strain has affected four African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria.
In Congo, the death toll surpassed 5,000 from more than 10,000 confirmed cases, according to government figures released Saturday.
“Every day of delay puts more families and frontline health workers at risk,” Kaseya warned.
He said Africa CDC was working closely with African leaders to ensure safe access for health teams, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
“We must act now, together, to stop the spread,” he added.
