The Department of State, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in partnership with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and other countries in the region, is continuing to mount a rapid and comprehensive response to the Ebola outbreak. Today, the Department is announcing that, working with Congress, it intends to provide $50 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that is responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC. This funding would support laboratory studies and clinical trials using ethically proven methods, and manufacturing for Bundibugyo medical countermeasure candidates. Safe and effective medical countermeasures for Ebola will be a critical tool as the United States continues to mount a rapid, coordinated and comprehensive response to protect Americans and support affected communities. The State Department’s has announced more than $270 million in direct Ebola response funding. This is in addition to $350 million for critical humanitarian assistance in the DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda, as part of our $1.8 billion in assistance to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on May 14. The United States continues to be the largest financial contributor to the Ebola response.
Protecting Americans
The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans.
The Department of State, in close coordination with the CDC, DoW, and the broader U.S. interagency, has published guidance on a voluntary process to assist U.S. citizens who have possible Ebola exposure or who request assistance to depart the DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda during the ongoing Ebola outbreak. U.S. citizens remain subject to relevant U.S. and foreign government health, travel, and screening measures.
U.S. embassies in affected countries continue to keep Americans informed of the latest travel, safety, and health information. Americans abroad are strongly encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for the most up to date safety and security information.
Supporting the Regional Response
Through more than $270 million committed by the Department of State, implementing organizations are conducting critical Ebola response efforts including contact tracing, border and point-of-entry screening, activation of dozens of health clinics in affected areas, and community education activities to combat misinformation about how Ebola spreads.
Below are recent U.S.-funded response partner activities:
1. Detection and Treatment
- As part of ongoing efforts to scale up disease surveillance and detection, U.S. implementer International Medical Corps (IMC) has screened more than 6,300 individuals across 24 health facilities in DRC’s Ituri Province, identifying 41 suspected Ebola cases for isolation as of June 8.
- U.S. implementers Medair and IMC continue to support 100 health facilities in Ebola-affected areas, including six specialized Ebola treatment facilities. Work proceeds to establish additional treatment facilities in Ituri’s Bunia and Nyankunde towns to address the critical lack of treatment center bed capacity that has emerged from the growing number of cases.
2. Safe and Dignified Burials
- In the DRC, U.S. implementers FHI 360 and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are operating seven and eight safe and dignified burial teams, respectively, with an additional two teams coming online from FHI 360 this week. As of June 11, IFRC has conducted 200 safe and dignified burials and is engaging with local religious and community leaders to increase acceptance of safe burial practices in order to expand the number of teams.
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