Switzerland allocates $3.8M to combat Ebola in DR Congo

Emergency funding

Switzerland announced 3 million Swiss francs — over $3.8 million — in emergency funding on Tuesday to help contain the Ebola outbreak devastating eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation stated the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no available vaccine or treatment, and has already resulted in more than 900 suspected cases including 100 confirmed infections. Congolese authorities have recorded 220 suspected deaths including 10 confirmed fatalities, with the virus mainly affecting the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu — regions already destabilized by armed conflict and mass displacement.

Aid allocation

More than 2 million Swiss francs of the funding will go to the World Health Organization to support the deployment of emergency medical teams and provide laboratory and technical assistance. An additional 500,000 francs will support maternal and child health programs in North and South Kivu through epidemiological monitoring and case management, while 400,000 francs will be directed to a Medair project focused on infectious disease prevention in Ituri and North Kivu. The SDC also plans to deploy two specialists from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Corps to assist UN agencies responding to the crisis, with the cooperation office in Bukavu coordinating the response on the ground.

Global emergency declaration

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that "the outbreak is progressing faster than we are," although the agency is urgently scaling up operations. The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak affecting Congo and Uganda a global health emergency on May 17 after suspected infections continued to rise and confirmed cases emerged beyond the initial outbreak zone. Ten countries including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi face the risk of an Ebola outbreak, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, while the WHO has warned that the situation is being closely monitored due to infections among healthcare workers and outbreaks in urban areas.