The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) plan to raise $ 518 million to tackle the Ebola virus outbreak.
The two launched a joint continental preparedness and response plan on Friday.
The plan details six months of action, from June to November 2026, to bring all relevant stakeholders together, including governments, partners and communities.
The plan also addresses outbreak response measures, including emergency coordination, disease surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, clinical care, community engagement, research, logistics and support for essential health services.
The plan complements national response plans launched by the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said “containing Ebola depends on political commitment, sustained financing, and the trust and engagement of communities. This plan places communities at the centre, because without their participation, contact tracing falters, safe care is delayed, and transmission continues.”
There are currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics specifically approved for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola.
There are over 400 confirmed Ebola cases with nearly 1,000 suspected cases of the deadly Bundibugyo virus.
About 381 confirmed cases and 64 confirmed deaths, are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Uganda has 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, while the United States recorded one employee who was infected while working in the DRC.
Picture: ICRC