Global leaders and donors on Wednesday at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, pledged $2.6 billion to work toward ending polio.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus announced this during a virtual news conference.

“I was very encouraged to see the level of commitment from leaders from government, civil society, academia and the private sector for addressing the most pressing global health challenges,” stated Mr Ghebreyesus. “There was strong support for the international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response which countries are now negotiating.”

On the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, he said there were 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases, with 44 deaths, and 25 people have recovered, noting that “we remain concerned that there may be more chains of transmission and more contacts than we know about in the affected communities.”

According to him, the health ministry is investigating the most recent eight cases, as initial reports indicate they were not among known contacts.

Mr Ghebreyesus added that two confirmed cases from the Mubende district sought care in the capital Kampala, increasing the risks of transmission in that city.

“WHO and our partners will continue to support the Government of Uganda to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading in more regions and countries,” he said.

(NAN)