More than 2,500 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which the United Nations says is spreading rapidly across an area larger than France.
UN Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis is calling for more international aid, warning that current funding could run out within weeks.
The outbreak has also put health-care workers at serious risk. About 160 health workers have become infected and 43 have died. Harneis said medical teams and ambulances have also been attacked by frightened and angry residents.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.
A vaccine called Ervebo, which protects against a different Ebola strain, has been sent to Congo. Of 70,000 doses allocated, 20,000 will be used in a clinical trial to determine whether it can help protect people from the current strain.
The WHO says it is not yet known whether the vaccine will work against Bundibugyo Ebola.
The outbreak has become the largest in Congo’s history by number of cases. Aid groups are also facing funding shortages and problems paying thousands of workers involved in the response.
