The U.S. government announced $50 million in funding to develop countermeasures against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola amid an expanding outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.
The U.S. Department of State said on Friday that the funds will go to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations for laboratory studies, clinical trials and manufacturing. The Bundibugyo strain has so far caused 139 deaths, with total infections reaching 689 across the DRC and Uganda.
Kenya remains free of confirmed cases. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale stated that the country has screened over 55,000 travellers and stays on high alert. The government has halted construction of a U.S.-backed quarantine facility in Laikipia following a High Court order.
The U.S. has screened more than 6,300 people in DRC’s Ituri Province as of June 8, identifying 41 suspected cases. Officials noted that safe medical countermeasures remain critical to the response.
