WHO and Africa CDC unveil $518 million Ebola response plan for DRC and Uganda
The World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention launched a $518 million emergency response plan to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, according to a joint statement. Africa CDC reported 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths in Ituri province, prompting urgent action, AP News said. The WHO then declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, citing over 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths, the organization announced. Later, residents in eastern Congo set fire to treatment centers and attacked facilities, PBS and CBS reported, complicating containment. Uganda responded by closing its border to Congo, CNN and Forbes noted, while the U.
S. CDC began recruiting staff for airport screenings, ABC News reported. The outbreak spread the Bundibugyo virus strain, WHO warned, and attacks on health workers continued, The Guardian reported. In the final phase, WHO and Africa CDC unveiled the $518 million plan to curb the epidemic, Yahoo reported, and subsequently reduced the number of suspected cases to 116, CBS later announced. Four nurses recovered and were discharged, Yahoo added, marking a modest improvement in the response.