UNFPA Statement on Activation of Level 3 Emergency for the DRC and Uganda in Response to the Ebola Outbreak

In response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has activated a Level 3 Emergency designation - the highest level of humanitarian response.

There are currently no approved therapeutics or vaccines specific to the Bundibugyo virus strain associated with this outbreak, elevating the urgency of preventative and protective interventions.

In DRC, the virus continues to spread in an area that is already facing a protracted complex humanitarian crisis marked by insecurity, high levels of displacement and population movement, and severe funding shortages for the humanitarian response. In Uganda containment measures to date have averted community transmission of the virus but risks remain high.

UNFPA Response

UNFPA is working with the concerned governments, communities and partners to keep maternity services open and safe, strengthen infection prevention in reproductive health facilities, support midwives and frontline health workers, protect survivors of gender-based violence, and ensure women and girls can continue to access the care they need with dignity.

The Level 3 response will encompass resource mobilization efforts, human resource deployments, risk communications and supply chain coordination across the DRC and Uganda, as well as countries identified as at elevated risk of cross-border spread, including Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia.

UNFPA has allocated $450,000 from its Emergency Fund to support the initial scale-up. UNFPA's response focuses on five pillars:

• Infection Prevention Control: In hospital maternity wards in affected health zones, UNFPA is supporting the installation of handwashing facilities, training health workers on infection prevention and control protocols, establishing secure waste management systems, and procuring and distributing personal protective equipment tailored to health workers performing high-fluid delivery procedures.
• Continuity of Essential Services: UNFPA is supporting the delivery of reproductive health kits and medical equipment to health facilities, and deployment of midwives to support overstretched health services to ensure the continuity of care.
• Risk Communications and Community Engagement: UNFPA is scaling up community engagement and information activities to combat stigma, raise awareness of preventative measures, counter misinformation, and build community trust in health services to ensure safe healthcare-seeking behavior.
• Case Management: For pregnant women or survivors of gender-based violence who exhibit signs or symptoms of Ebola, UNFPA supports screening and referral in line with established Ebola protocols, helping ensure affected individuals are connected to appropriate health facilities for specialized care.
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: UNFPA is supporting the distribution of dignity kits to women and adolescent girls, and conducting awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene.

UNFPA is also supporting inter-agency coordination on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, recognizing that these risks have increased during previous Ebola outbreaks.

Early support for this critical work will save lives, protect health systems and help prevent this outbreak from spreading. Even amidst fear and uncertainty, women continue to give life - our collective responsibility is to ensure they do not risk losing theirs in the process.