US to contribute up to $7 million to fight Ebola outbreak

The U.S. will contribute up to $7 million to fight an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday.

Azar made the announcement in Switzerland at the World Health Assembly, the decisionmaking body of the World Health Organization (WHO), while urging other member states to contribute to “ensure we defeat this outbreak.” 

The $7 million is in addition to the $1 million the U.S. has already contributed and is the largest international donation yet.

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The WHO estimated it would need $26 million to rapidly stop the spread of Ebola, and about $25.4 million has already been raised, according to officials.

“In 2014’s Ebola crisis, thousands of West Africans died preventable deaths, and the world was humbled. With an Ebola outbreak now occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is all the more essential that WHO focuses on its most important mandate,” Azar said Tuesday.

“We commend the government of the DRC for responding to this outbreak with such vigor. Today, on behalf of President Trump, I am pleased to announce that the United States is prepared to provide up to $7 million in additional assistance to respond to the Ebola outbreak.”

Twenty-seven people have already died from the outbreak. 

The WHO began administering experimental Ebola vaccinations in the DRC this week.