Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am concerned at the scale of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is now the second largest recorded outbreak.  As of 20 August, 2,927 people were recorded as having been infected during this outbreak, of whom 1,961 died.

Building on the experience of the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola outbreak, Ireland is supporting non-governmental organisations and the World Health Organisation in their work helping communities to protect themselves from the virus. To date Ireland has directly provided €2.75 million in funding, strengthening the capacity of health facilities to vaccinate and treat those in need and building preparedness in the wider region. 

As a member of the EU, Ireland also contributes to the wider EU response to this Ebola crisis. To date, the EU has provided €47 million in humanitarian funding to the World Health Organisation, UN, Red Cross Movement and NGOs.  

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including through our Embassies in Tanzania and Uganda, is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to respond further to the evolving situation.