Washington,Ā Sept 24:
The United States has announced an additional $267 million to help fight an Ebola outbreak in central Africa, as health authorities intensify efforts to contain the disease, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
US State Department officials announced the funding on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They also called for contributions from other countries towards a broader $2-billion international funding target for the response.
The outbreak was detected in May and has already become the second most lethal Ebola outbreak on record, according to the Reuters report, behind the major West African outbreak of 2014-16.
The latest US pledge takes the Trump administration’s total commitment to tackling the outbreak to $886 million. This includes $107 million from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The assistance is intended to support measures such as treatment facilities, diagnostic services and medical countermeasures for healthcare workers. Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka described the outbreak as a major test for the country and said national authorities were mobilising their scientific and operational resources.