Workers prepare to bury a victim of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
JOHN WESSELS/AFP/Getty Images
The World Bank in Washington, D.C., said today it will contribute $300 million to responding to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The outbreak has killed more than 1700 people and last week it was declared an international emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Together, we must take urgent action to stop the deadly Ebola epidemic that is destroying lives and livelihoods in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. The bank’s newly committed money will be provided as grants and credits to intensify the frontline health response in Ebola-affected areas of the DRC. The cash infusion adds to $100 million the organization has provided since the outbreak surfaced in August 2018.
In declaring the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 July, WHO officials argued the global community’s response in money, technical assistance, and human resources had been inadequate.