SA pledges R41.2mn to Ebola outbreak response in DRC and Uganda
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has welcomed South Africa’s R41.2-million pledge to the Africa Epidemics Fund.
The funds are meant to support the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda’s response to the Ebola outbreak.
Over 600 suspected cases were reported in the two countries so far, with 139 deaths.
Africa CDC said South Africa’s leadership reflects the growing importance of African-led financing mechanisms and reinforces the vision of a more resilient, self-reliant, and health-secure continent.
WHO IS AT RISK?
The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak an international health emergency after more than 130 deaths were reported in the DRC.
Professor Jantjie Taljard, an infectious disease specialist from Stellenbosch University, explained that Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids.
"You need to really be close to somebody to be infected by that person and develop Ebola. That can only really happen when you take care of somebody who has the disease, either in their household or in the healthcare environment.
“Those are the majority of people who get infected with Ebola, who are taking care of either their loved ones or in hospital environments.
“So, there are a couple of healthcare workers who are already infected, and I think there's one healthcare worker who's already died.”
He said the risk of Ebola spreading to the general public in South Africa remained very low, despite the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.
Taljard reassured the public that the risk of Ebola spreading in the country remains low, and there is no need for South Africans to panic.
VACCINE TIMELINES
Meanwhile, the WHO warned that it could take up to nine months before a vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus, which caused the latest Ebola outbreak, would be available.
WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the health organisation's emergency committee had agreed the situation was not a pandemic emergency.
“The WHO assessed the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level. In the absence of vaccines and therapeutics, there are many other measures countries can take to stop the spread of the virus and save lives.”
Yesterday I convened an Emergency Committee on the #Ebola outbreak in the #DRC and #Uganda. The Committee agreed that the situation is a public health emergency of international concern. @WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low… pic.twitter.com/HBNSGXSqJe
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 20, 2026
