The UN has allocated $2 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to strengthen Ebola outbreak preparedness in Rwanda.

Deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general, Farhan Haq, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday at UN headquarters in New York.

Haq said the UN and its humanitarian partners had continued to support government-led efforts to strengthen Ebola preparedness in the country’s high-risk districts.

He said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had been training health workers to strengthen preparedness in the high-risk areas.

“UN partners have trained health workers on infection prevention and control, case detection and reporting. UN partners have also pre-positioned personal protective equipmen, testing supplies, diagnostic tools, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies in high-risk areas.

“Surveillance efforts also continue, including the screening of travellers at key points of entry into the country and the expansion of environmental and wastewater surveillance. Risk communication and community engagement activities continue through radio campaigns, as well as the distribution of information materials,’’ the spokesperson said.

Mr Haq further said OCHA had reported rising numbers of Ebola cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), putting ever more pressure on health services and our efforts to respond.

As of July 25, he said the national health authorities had reported 3,200 confirmed Ebola cases across Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces.

“More than 100 new confirmed cases have been reported for the second consecutive day,” stated Mr Haq.

According to him, the UN and its partners continue to support the authorities on surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory testing and patient care.

“The World Food Programme has provided more than 140,000 hot meals and food to over 23,000 patients, contacts and vulnerable people impacted by the outbreak in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

“The UN Children’s Fund and its partners have also carried out more than 27,000 household visits to support the identification and follow-up of suspected cases in affected communities,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Mr Haq said preparedness efforts were under way beyond the provinces impacted by Ebola.

“Today (Monday), the World Health Organisation launched training for hygiene specialists at the General Reference Hospital in the province of Bas-Uele to reduce the risk of further spread.

“The UN and its partners remain committed to supporting the authorities’ response. Continued international support is critical to expanding treatment capacity, sustaining response operations and containing the outbreak,’’ he said.

(NAN)