The European Union (EU) has announced a new funding package of €300,000 (approximately UGX 1.24 billion) to aid Uganda’s response to the mpox outbreak. The disease, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has now spread to nine districts in Uganda, with 25 districts identified as high-risk areas.
This funding will bolster the efforts of humanitarian organizations that are already working on epidemic preparedness at key points such as border crossings, transit centers, and refugee settlements. The support will cover areas including coordination, surveillance, laboratory testing, case management, infection control measures, and community engagement to raise awareness about the disease.
The new aid adds to the €32 million in humanitarian support the EU has allocated to Uganda this year.
The EU has also extended assistance to other affected regions. It has provided €1 million in aid to the DRC and an additional €200,000 to the Burundi Red Cross through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Moreover, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the EU has deployed two epidemiologists to the DRC to help combat the outbreak.