Uganda receives sh1.8b for Ebola control

HEALTH

Uganda on Thursday received US$500,000(about sh1.8b) from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to create a regional base for Ebola control in Entebbe.

According to a press release from World Food Programme (WFP), the fund is part of a $10.5 (about sh38b) regional contribution from the CERF towards mitigating the possible impact of the current Ebola outbreak should it spread to countries neighbouring DRC.

"We are very grateful to CERF and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for this timely contribution and urge other donors to support preparedness and the emergency response to stop and push back Ebola.

In particular, we still need additional support for the logistics staging area in Entebbe," said WFP East Africa Regional Director Erika Joergensen.

Under this allocation, $3.8 million (about sh14b) has been provided to Uganda, $2.4 million (about sh 8b) to Burundi, $2 million (about7b) to South Sudan and $1.8 million (about sh 6bn) to Rwanda, in addition to the $500,000 provided for the regional staging area.

These CERF funds will enable early action and the acceleration of preparedness measures, including stepping-up surveillance, community mobilization, crisis communication, vaccination campaigns and training of health workers.

"We welcome this life-saving contribution from CERF to cover one of the critical gaps in Ebola readiness - logistics," said Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Emergencies Director for Africa. "WHO calls on donors to invest in emergency preparedness and step up funding for early action in neighbouring countries," he said.

The Ebola outbreak in DRC is the second worst in history with nearly 900 cases and more than 560 deaths recorded since it was declared on 1 August 2018, according to WHO.