Kenya is on high alert after six governments warned of the Ebola South Sudan risk. The embassies of Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States said on Thursday, November 12, that they are “concerned over an outbreak in South Sudan”.
Why the Ebola South Sudan risk is so high
South Sudan has no confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola case yet. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says the country faces a 99 per cent risk of importing the virus. The reason is ongoing transmission in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The two countries share a border of about 813 kilometres. That border lies directly next to areas with an active outbreak. As of November 9, confirmed cases in the DRC had passed 10,900.
What the embassies said
In a joint statement, the six embassies urged South Sudan’s leaders to fund the health sector from public revenue. They also called for health workers’ salaries to be paid.
“These risks give even greater urgency to the need for South Sudan’s leaders to start using South Sudan’s public revenue to fund the health sector, including the salaries of public health workers,” the embassies said.
They also asked leaders to support full access across the country for organisations helping people in need.
Suspected cases in South Sudan
