WHO says it has less than half funding needed to fight Ebola

GENEVA – The World Health Organization has received less than half the funding it ​needs to fight the Ebola outbreak in eastern ‌Democratic Republic of Congo, a WHO official said on Tuesday, urging donors not to abandon the country at a critical ​stage of the epidemic.The global health agency has received about 40% of its $115 million appeal to tackle the Bundibugyo outbreak, for which there is no proven treatment or vaccine.At least 1,926 people have been ​infected, and 702 have died, government data show.“This outbreak requires resources that match the scale of the challenges that we are ​facing.

And this is not a burden DRC can ​be allowed to carry alone,” Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of the WHO’s ‌Health ⁠Emergencies Programme, told reporters in Geneva after a visit to the worst-hit province of Ituri.Follow The Post’s coverage on the latest Ebola outbreakIhekweazu said the response had reached a critical point, with intensified efforts needed to ​detect and isolate ​patients after ⁠cases spread this week to two new provinces.“It’s a bit like a marathon.You can’t ​give up after the first lap or ​the second.

⁠You just have to keep pushing even when you’re getting tired and exhausted,” he said.He repeated estimates that the ⁠true ​number of Ebola cases in ​Congo is at least double, and possibly over four times, the official tally....