70m across East Africa need humanitarian aid – UN

The UN has said new estimates from humanitarians in East Africa indicate that nearly 67 million people in the region are now in need of assistance.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric made this known on Wednesday while briefing reporters in New York.

“That is more than 20 per cent of the total number of people in need globally.

“The region is facing some of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, driven by climate change, conflict, political instability, economic shocks and disease outbreaks,’’ he said.

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Measles and Mpox outbreaks continue with at least 776 Mpox cases reported in the region as of Sept. 26.

“The Marburg virus is now spreading. At least 29 cases have been confirmed in Rwanda, and that includes nine fatalities,” Dujarric said.

Most of the cases so far have been among health workers. Just under 300 contacts have been registered and are being followed up, said the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe and often fatal zoonotic haemorrhagic illness caused by the virus, which is usually transmitted to humans from fruit bats.

Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person’s body fluids or with equipment and materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for MVD.

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Dujarric said that the UN’s humanitarian partners continued to provide assistance to millions of people across East Africa.

“However, by the end of last month, only 38 per cent of the 9.3 billion dollars required for humanitarian response efforts in East Africa this year was available, constraining our – and our partners’ – ability to scale up.”