By Stephen Asante
Accra, June 12, GNA – The United States of America (USA) has committed more than $200 million directly to the current Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Mr Rolf Olson, the Chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Accra, said by dint of that commitment, his country remained the largest financial contributor to the health emergency across Africa.
Addressing the 250th Independence Anniversary of the US at a ceremony in Accra, he said a significant portion of the funds targeted disease detection at airports and border crossings to prevent cross-border transmission.
With the Ebola outbreak threatening communities in the DRC and Uganda, an international response worth hundreds of millions of dollars is being mobilised to stop the virus from spreading further.
Documents released by the US Department of State show an emergency network of governments, health workers, and volunteers working across borders to contain the outbreak.
In the DRC, US-funded partner, FHI 360, had strengthened diagnostic and testing capacity through training laboratory staff, transporting samples for analysis; and helping the DRC National Laboratory increase lab capacity, the authorities said.
Medical scientists say Ebola is a rare but severe viral disease that can cause life-threatening illness in humans.
It is characterised by fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Studies show Ebola is transmitted when an individual’s mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth) or broken skin comes into direct contact with body fluids (blood, urine, saliva, semen, or faeces) of a person who is sick with or who has died from Ebola.
It can also be acquired when an individual touches or eats infected animals, and through contact with contaminated medical equipment (such as needles).
As of the second week of June 2026, there have been 115 confirmed deaths in DRC and two deaths in Uganda resulting from the viral disease, which is reportedly caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe