Switzerland allocates $3.8M to help combat Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

Switzerland on Tuesday announced 3 million Swiss francs (over $3.8 million) in emergency funding to help contain the new Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a statement, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, said the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus -- which has no available vaccine or treatment to fight against so far -- and has already resulted in more than 900 suspected cases, including 100 confirmed infections.

Congolese authorities have also recorded 220 suspected deaths, including 10 confirmed fatalities, according to the statement.

The outbreak is mainly affecting the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, regions already destabilized by armed conflict and mass displacement, conditions Swiss authorities said are facilitating the spread of the virus and complicating aid delivery.

More than 2 million Swiss francs of the funding package will go to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the deployment of emergency medical teams as well as laboratory and technical assistance, according to the statement.

An additional 500,000 francs will support maternal and child health programs in North and South Kivu, including epidemiological monitoring, prevention efforts, and case management through existing partnerships with local municipalities.

Another 400,000 francs will be directed to a project run by Medair focused on infectious disease prevention and control in Ituri and North Kivu.

The SDC also said it plans to deploy two specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Corps to assist UN agencies responding to the crisis.

Swiss authorities said the SDC cooperation office in Bukavu is monitoring developments and coordinating Switzerland’s response on the ground.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that "the outbreak is progressing faster than we are," although the agency is urgently scaling up operations.

On May 17, WHO declared the Ebola outbreak affecting Congo and Uganda a global health emergency after suspected infections and deaths continued to rise in eastern Congo and confirmed cases emerged beyond the initial outbreak zone.

Earlier, health authorities warned that the outbreak is continuing to spread in parts of Africa, with neighboring countries also affected.

Ten countries, including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Zambia, face the risk of an Ebola outbreak, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The WHO has also warned that while the risk of global spread remains low, the situation is being closely monitored due to the number of cases, infections among healthcare workers, and outbreaks in urban areas.