The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | The United Nations (UN) has launched an appeal to raise 11.2 million dollars to fund national response efforts against the Ebola Virus disease, which was detected in Uganda in January 2025.
While the Health Ministry officials had announced on February 18 that the country had contained the outbreak, which had affected nine people by then, there has been a reported rebound after a four-year-old succumbed to the disease last week.
In the latest statement, the UN says this money is to fund the response for three months, from March to May.
“This emergency appeal in support of Uganda’s response to the Ebola presents joint actions planned by the UN Country Team in Uganda and eight humanitarian international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). The appeal is for USD 11.2 million, of which USD 4.6 million has been mobilized by UN Agencies and INGOs repurposing their available resources. I am hopeful that we will be able to close the gap, with support from partners,” said Mr. Leonard Zulu, the UN Resident Coordinator in Uganda in the statement.
This appeal comes at a time when most of the funding from the United States, who were the biggest funders of such responses, was suspended, and according to the UN, the money is set to go towards enhancing detection and investigation of cases to avoid further transmission in the community.
According to Dr Kasonde Mwinga, the World Health Organization Uganda Country Representative, most of the interventions will focus on seven very high-risk districts with potential expansion to other districts based on the needs and resources in alignment with the national response plan.
“The goal is to rapidly contain the outbreak and address its impact on public health as well as associated social-economic life of affected people, in full solidarity with the Government and people of Uganda, “she said.
For coordinating the response, the World Health Organization is required to provide 225,000 dollars, but so far, only 50,000 dollars is available. When it comes to surveillance, the planned cost is two million dollars, but so far, only half of that is available.
Laboratory and management of cases have been budgeted to cost a million dollars and 890,000 dollars, respectively, but as of Tuesday, the resources available were 900,000 dollars and 343,000 dollars.
As of Tuesday, 299 contacts had been listed for quarantine, and 11 cases had tested positive for Ebola.
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