The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned the international community on Thursday about the potential escalation of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and called on the states to expand their Ebola response efforts
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th May, 2019) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned the international community on Thursday about the potential escalation of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and called on the states to expand their Ebola response efforts.The DRC Health Ministry said last week that more than 1,100 people had died from the Ebola virus disease since August.
"The Ebola response faces a double jeopardy of insecurity and critical underfunding. The security situation is complex, and will require a range of responses, including continued increased community engagement. However, the funding situation could be fixed. We need more investment now," Emanuele Capobianco, the IFRC's director of health and care, said as quoted in the statement.
The Ebola virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and is estimated by the World Health Organization to have a 50 percent fatality rate. Ebola is named after the DRC's Ebola River, near which the virus was discovered by a team led by Professor Peter Piot in 1976.
