• The United Nations has released up to $60 million in emergency funding to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa
• The outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which currently has no approved vaccine or targeted treatment
• Current figures show more than 670 suspected cases and about 160 suspected deaths

The United Nations has approved up to $60 million in emergency funding to strengthen efforts to contain the growing Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain currently affecting parts of Central Africa.

The funding announcement was made on Friday, May 22, by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, who disclosed the development in a post shared on X.

The emergency intervention comes just five days after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, raising concerns over the rapid spread of the disease and the absence of an approved vaccine or targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain.

Fletcher said the UN was acting swiftly to prevent the outbreak from escalating across the region.

“We need to get ahead of this Ebola outbreak. I am allocating up to $60 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider region,” he said.

According to him, the funding will support emergency operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as neighbouring countries including Uganda and South Sudan.

He added that additional humanitarian personnel from various UN agencies and partner organisations were already being deployed to strengthen surveillance, emergency healthcare, and containment operations in affected areas.

Fletcher also praised frontline workers and local communities assisting with efforts to curb the spread of the virus despite difficult conditions.

The UN humanitarian chief warned that ongoing armed conflict and heavy cross-border movement within the region could make containment efforts more challenging.

He noted that humanitarian agencies were working to ensure safe access for emergency responders, including in territories controlled by armed groups.

“We are applying lessons from previous outbreaks. Containment depends on fast, coordinated action at community level. We need strong communication with governments, and effective early warning and detection systems. Community trust is essential,” Fletcher stated.

The latest outbreak was officially declared a global health emergency by the WHO on May 17 after confirmed Ebola infections were detected in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo before cases later appeared in Kampala, Uganda, through infected travellers crossing from Congo.

At the time, health authorities confirmed eight laboratory cases, while 246 suspected infections and 80 suspected deaths had been recorded across multiple health zones including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.

Recent updates from health officials now indicate that the outbreak has escalated significantly, with over 670 suspected cases and around 160 suspected deaths reported so far.

Health experts say the Bundibugyo ebolavirus remains one of the rarest Ebola strains known to infect humans.

The virus has previously been linked to only two outbreaks, one in Uganda in 2007 and another in eastern DR Congo in 2012.

Unlike the more common Zaire Ebola strain, which caused the devastating West African Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antibody treatment designed for the Bundibugyo variant.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, is regarded as one of the world’s most experienced countries in Ebola surveillance and outbreak response, having battled more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks over the last five decades.

UN allocates $110 million to African countries, others amid global aid cuts

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the United Nations’ Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated $110 million to address neglected humanitarian crises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, even as global aid funding continues to decline.

Targeted countries include Sudan, Chad, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Honduras, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Venezuela, and Zambia.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top humanitarian official, highlighted that more than 300 million people worldwide urgently require assistance.