ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The African continent’s leading public health body has issued an urgent call for African governments to ramp up domestic financing to contain the ongoing Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, while stressing the critical need to end the continent’s long-standing reliance on international partners for emergency health responses. Since the outbreak was first detected on May 15, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) confirms it has already killed more than 200 people among 894 confirmed cases, with more than 35,000 exposed contacts still to be fully traced. Public health experts warn the actual case count is likely higher, as the outbreak was only identified weeks after it first began spreading through local communities.
Africa CDC chief says the continent needs to invest its own funds in Ebola response, vaccine
