The EU is contributing a further €30 million in humanitarian funding for Ebola response in efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The second deadliest Ebola outbreak on record has so far claimed more than 1,700 lives in a country already facing a dire humanitarian situation. Today’s funding announcement brings total EU humanitarian aid to fight against Ebola to €47 million since 2018, when the current outbreak was declared.

Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, who is also the EU’s Ebola Coordinator, said: “The fight against the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo stands at a crucial juncture. The EU is vastly stepping up its aid to save lives and prevent further infections. We are providing new support to the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization, and humanitarian partners on the ground. We also stand in full solidarity with the frontline responders putting their life at risk to tackle the outbreak."

The new EU funding will step up support for:

Infection prevention and control measures

Working with local communities to foster their acceptance of the response, including contagion prevention measures, access to healthcare, and safe and dignified burials

Support for Ebola survivors and their families.

Against the backdrop of a wider deteriorating humanitarian crisis, EU assistance will also address urgent humanitarian needs in Ebola-affected and high-risk areas by providing food, nutrition and access to health services and clean water.

The Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo takes place in a challenging security, political and societal context. Conflict, high population mobility, a frail health system, and community mistrust continue to hinder the Ebola response teams’ efforts in the country.

Background

While the Ebola virus epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo still remains confined to the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, there has been an increase in the number of confirmed cases since April 2019, with the city of Beni, Butembo and Katwa being the main hotspots. According to the World Health Organization’s risk assessment, the risk of a national and regional spread of the disease remains very high, while the risk of a spread outside the region is low. On 14 July 2019 a case was detected in Goma, the main gateway city in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and three spill over cases reached Uganda in early June 2019.

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola crisis was declared as a public health emergency of international concern by the on 17 July 2019. In its rapid risk assessment published on 19 July 2019, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control concluded that the overall risk of introduction and spread of the Ebola virus to the EU/EEA remains very low.