Millions of Ebola dollars going missing as virus spreads, medical charity warns

What the report says

Médecins Sans Frontières has warned that large sums of money meant for Ebola response efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo are failing to reach the people carrying out the work. In a report cited by BBC Africa, the charity said the outbreak remains out of control and that many frontline staff are unpaid, undertrained and lacking basic supplies. It urged Congolese authorities and UN agencies to improve oversight so that disbursed funds are used for the response on the ground.

BBC Africa reported that more than 5,400 people have died and about 11,000 have been infected since the outbreak was declared in May, making it the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record. MSF described cases in which ambulances lacked fuel, surveillance teams existed only on paper, and health workers were left without proper equipment. The group also said some treatment facilities were becoming sites of transmission because they did not have essentials such as water, chlorine or triage systems.

The warning comes amid wider concern about transparency in Ebola financing. BBC Africa noted that Africa CDC previously said a large share of disbursed response funds could not be accounted for, while stopping the spread remains difficult because of weak contact tracing, insecurity and poor roads in eastern DR Congo. The outbreak has also spread beyond Congo’s borders, and the virus strain involved has no approved vaccine or treatment, though trials are under way.