G20 foreign ministers and major international donors have pledged more than US$470 million in new funding to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), pushing total global commitments since the epidemic began in May above US$2 billion.
The funding package was announced following a G20 Foreign Ministerial on Ebola convened by the United States under its G20 presidency, bringing together donor countries, multilateral institutions and global health organisations to strengthen the international response to the outbreak.
The United States accounted for the largest share of the new commitments, announcing an additional US$267 million in health and humanitarian assistance, increasing total US direct support for the Ebola response to US$887 million.
Other major pledges came from the World Bank, which committed US$90 million, and the United Kingdom, which announced a new US$67.5 million funding package.
Germany pledged an additional US$24.8 million, while South Korea committed US$18 million, France US$16 million, Italy US$11.3 million and the United Arab Emirates US$10 million. Australia and Japan also announced additional contributions.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US State Department said the latest commitments underscored growing international efforts to defeat an outbreak that has proved particularly difficult to contain.
The current epidemic is centred in an isolated, conflict-affected region of eastern DRC and involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which existing vaccines, diagnostic tools and therapies are less effective than those developed for other Ebola variants.
Health officials say the outbreak has highlighted the need for expanded disease surveillance, contact tracing, treatment capacity and investment in new vaccines and medical countermeasures.
The latest funding will support a range of response measures, including Ebola treatment units, protective equipment for frontline health workers, burial teams, laboratory services, community outreach programmes and strengthened disease surveillance systems.
The DRC has experienced several Ebola outbreaks over the past two decades owing to its location within the Congo Basin, where the virus is believed to originate in animal reservoirs.
Previous outbreaks have ranged from small, localised events to large-scale epidemics that required extensive international intervention.
The current outbreak has drawn concern among global health authorities because of the operational challenges posed by insecurity, population displacement and limited healthcare infrastructure in affected areas.
Donors at the ministerial meeting also called for stronger preparedness measures in neighbouring high-risk countries to prevent cross-border transmission and improve rapid response capabilities.
The United States noted that the successful containment of a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda demonstrated that coordinated international action, backed by adequate funding and local community engagement, could still bring the disease under control.
The meeting was attended by G20 members and other major donors, including Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Qatar and the UAE, alongside organisations such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the World Bank, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Pandemic Fund.
JN/APA