Ebola deaths in DR Congo hit 3,200

The United Nations (UN) says Ebola virus continues to spread in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with more than 3,200 deaths reported.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric gave the update on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the UN headquarters in New York.

“Today, our Humanitarian Coordinator, Damien Mama, began a four-day visit to North Kivu to assess response efforts and review the broader humanitarian situation.

“Last Friday, the government, together with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and partners, launched a revised Ebola multisectoral response plan requiring $1.3 billion over the next six months.

“The plan calls for a major expansion of surveillance, contact tracing, treatment, community engagement and preparedness activities,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Dujarric said the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has been scaling up support in Ituri and North Kivu, helping communities reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission through veterinary surveillance and training, while also providing seeds, tools, poultry and cash assistance.

“Humanitarian needs across the country remain immense. The $2.1 billion Humanitarian Response Plan is only about half funded.

“We stress the urgent need for additional resources to sustain humanitarian operations and support efforts to contain the outbreak,’’ he said.

In a related development, the World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for greater international support for the population, particularly hungry people in remote areas far from lifesaving Ebola treatment centres.

“Ebola is a health crisis; there’s no question about that,” David Stevenson, WFP country director for the DRC, said.

“But at the same time, since Ebola is in eastern Congo and that area is so…