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The UK is at the forefront of the fight against the epidemic and has up to now pledged support, including funding a life-saving vaccine. , work to mobilize communities and train local health workers.
However, money alone will not be able to fight this disease; in the last two weeks alone, he has killed 100 people. A new case of Ebola, confirmed on July 30 in Goma, highlights the risk of spread, the need for better-supported communities, enhanced health services and effective preparedness. The UK has made it clear that a truly international effort is needed to put an end to the most difficult public health emergency of recent history.
International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said:
"The Ebola virus has already cost far too many lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has been shocking to see entire families disappear and, one year after the beginning of the epidemic, it shows no signs of slowing down."
"The UK has led the way in tackling this deadly disease and we can be proud of our support for the creation of a life-saving Ebola vaccine that has already vaccinated 180,000 people. people".
"Diseases like Ebola do not respect borders, it could spread beyond the DRC, it is essential that the rest of the international community mobilize to help, if we do not act now, thousands of extra lives could be lost. "
UK support went directly to:
- Vaccinate more than 180,000 people in the DRC, which has proven to be 97% effective among people at risk, including health workers.
- Safe and dignified burials to allow families to bury their loved ones without being themselves infected.
- Ebola screening at border crossings, including temperature controls for neighboring DRC countries such as Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
- Support for training and vaccinating health workers in Uganda, where three people with Ebola were first brought to a treatment center funded by UK aid. Preparation and rapid action prevented the continuation of the infection.
- Support for training of health personnel in Rwanda and planning and testing for vaccination at the borders of Rwanda.
- Assist in the purchase of sanitation equipment in South Sudan.
- A humanitarian expert funded by the United Kingdom and deployed in Burundi to support the preparation and coordination of UK support.
More than 2,600 cases and 1,750 deaths have been reported since hatching. In the last six months, the number of cases has increased dramatically and conflicts continue to prevent health workers from reaching the most needy.
During the 2014 Sierra Leone outbreak, the global community worked together to stop the spread of the Ebola virus. The country is rebuilding itself. The UK is using the knowledge gained from the 2014 outbreak to strengthen our response in the DRC and enable a community-led response.
This has seen awareness and training developed with local communities, particularly for women who are more likely to contract the disease because of their role as primary caregivers. Many surviving women are caring for babies and young children whose parents are being treated for Ebola and orphans whose parents have died as a result of the virus.
The United Kingdom has already deployed experts from the British Public Health Rapid Response Team (PHRST) to the DRC. Funded with help from the UK through the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, they included epidemiologists and data specialists from eastern DRC, as well as support at WHO in Geneva.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Department of International Development (DFID).
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Apo
Department of International Development (DFID)
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