The United Nations has released about $60 million from its emergency fund to support efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has deployed additional personnel to strengthen the response.
The UN Aid Chief, Tom Fletcher, said that urgent measures were needed to prevent the virus from spreading further across the conflict-hit region.
He noted that insecurity and high population movement in eastern Congo were complicating efforts to deliver lifesaving assistance.
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Health experts believe the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no vaccine, circulated undetected for nearly two months in Ituri province before authorities confirmed the outbreak last week.
According to officials, the outbreak has so far caused 160 suspected deaths from 670 suspected cases.
Reuters
