"First goal must be to prevent further spread": G7, India urge global action on Ebola outbreak
Evian, June 16
G7 leaders and partner countries, Egypt, India, Kenya and the Republic of Korea, on Tuesday called for an urgent and coordinated international response to contain the re-emerging Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, warning that the disease poses a serious global health security risk and requires immediate action to prevent further cross-border spread.
In a statement adopted at the G7 Summit, the leaders said they were "deeply saddened by the loss of lives and the burden that the disease is inflicting on the affected communities" and expressed solidarity with countries battling the outbreak.
The statement noted that the outbreak is centred in an isolated, conflict-affected area in eastern DRC, complicating containment efforts, while "existing vaccines, diagnostics, and therapies are not fully effective on the rare viral strain at issue."
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, the leaders said, " Our first goal must be to prevent further spread, both within the affected area in the eastern DRC and to neighbouring countries and other parts of the world."
The G7 stressed that ending the outbreak would depend on "effective contact tracing, infection prevention and control, quarantine and isolation practices, laboratory testing, cross-border preparedness, border surveillance and community engagement."
Pledging sustained support, the leaders said they were "resolved to provide and mobilise support for a coordinated global response to facilitate the development and effective delivery of dedicated vaccines, diagnostics and treatments to fight this outbreakover the next months."
The statement welcomed major international funding commitments, i.e., "United States' rapid deployment of more than 370 million dollars in health and humanitarian resources for the region and its commitment to spend up to an additional 500 million dollars on Ebola response efforts, specifically, in addition to 650 million dollars in humanitarian support for the Great Lakes region."
And, "European Union support of 493 million euros in emergency aid, vaccines, treatment and health security in the Great Lakes and Uganda region, including 84 million euros in immediate humanitarian aid, development and research funding in response to the outbreak."
The statement added, "The Continental Preparedness and Response Plan is mobilising 518 million dollars to support African countries in preparing for, rapidly detecting, and responding to the outbreak."
Calling for wider international participation, the statement said, "We call on other countries and partners beyond the G7 to dedicate resources to tackling this global threat through the means they deem most appropriate."
The leaders also backed the UN-led humanitarian response, affirming support for the humanitarian reset led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its plan to reach 87 million people with lifesaving aid in 2026.
Highlighting the risk of international spread amid rising global travel, including for the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the leaders said, "We must ensure that they can do so safely," and pledged stronger coordination on "appropriate and effective travel, quarantine, and isolation procedures" in line with international public health standards.
The statement further noted that "effective public health measures are hampered by ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC," and called on all parties to honour their commitments and fully implement the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity and the Doha Framework.
The G7 urged humanitarian and health response actors to improve coordination and avoid duplication of efforts, while announcing that the United States will convene a G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting to discuss additional collective action and mobilise broader financial support for the international response to the Ebola outbreak.
— ANI
Reader Comments
$370 million from US and €493 million from EU - impressive numbers. But will the money actually reach the affected communities in eastern DRC? The conflict there is a huge obstacle. Vaccines alone won't solve this without peace.
As an Indian, I appreciate that our country is part of this global effort. But I hope the government also prioritises our own healthcare infrastructure. We can't fight Ebola abroad if our own rural hospitals lack basic PPE. 🇮🇳
Good to see coordinated action. The mention of the FIFA World Cup in my country (USA) shows how interconnected we all are. One outbreak in Congo can affect millions of travellers globally. Need stricter screening at all international airports.
The statement says vaccines are "not fully effective" on this strain. That's concerning. We need R&D for new vaccines, not just throwing money at existing ones. India's vaccine industry can definitely contribute here - Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have the capacity.
I worry about the "community engagement" part. In my experience working in global health, top-down approaches fail without local trust. The DRC has faced decades of neglect and conflict. This needs to be a partnership, not just aid delivery.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.