India pledges $10m for Ebola response at African Union summit
India has pledged $10 million to support the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, in a show of international backing as cases continue to rise.
The commitment was announced by India's health minister, JP Nadda, during a virtual summit convened by the African Union on June 17. The summit was chaired by the AU chairperson and president of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, and focused on coordinating help for the affected countries.
India said the funds would support preparedness, response and recovery efforts, and that it would work through technical partnerships and capacity-building for African health institutions. It added that it stood ready to provide medical and laboratory supplies, diagnostics, essential medicines and nutritional support as needed.
The pledge came amid wider calls for an urgent, coordinated international response. Several governments and partners, including Egypt, Kenya and South Korea, have signalled support for containing the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola driving the current outbreak has no licensed vaccine, making containment, early care and international assistance critical to limiting its spread across the region.
