Kampala, June 19: The United Nations has allocated $4 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the Ugandan government’s response to the Ebola outbreak. This announcement was made by Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Development Program are enhancing screening, monitoring, and movement management at key entry points. Meanwhile, UNICEF is working to foster community engagement, raise risk awareness, and ensure the continuity of essential services.
Additionally, the World Food Programme has provided over 6,000 food packets to patients, contacts in isolation, and frontline health workers. The organization is also ensuring the supply of necessary relief and medical materials.
In a related development, the United Nations and its partner organizations delivered more than 16 metric tons of medical supplies to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week. According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, new health screening facilities have been established at N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa to strengthen monitoring systems.
Following consultations with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has appointed Julian Harness as the Senior Ebola Coordinator. Dujarric stated that his role will involve improving coordination among various Ebola response efforts, addressing operational challenges, and delivering assistance to those in need as quickly as possible.
Ebola, also known as Ebola Virus Disease, is a rare but often fatal hemorrhagic fever caused by the orthobunyavirus. It is primarily found in sub-Saharan Africa and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected humans or animals, as well as contaminated surfaces. The average mortality rate is approximately 50 percent.
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