Today, the United States announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is contributing up to $7 million at this stage to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at this stage. This additional funding, combined with the $1 million USAID committed last week, will provide a total of up to $8 million to help prevent the spread of this deadly disease. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar made the announcement in his address before the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

In addition to this funding, USAID is providing personal protective equipment, mobile laboratories, and supplies, and has a robust presence on the ground. The United States is also sending a team of public health experts to join the efforts of the Ministry of Health of the DRC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners.

As we announce our own contribution to stopping the outbreak, we call on other donors to make funding available immediately to support the Government of the DRC and the WHO's health emergencies fund - the "Contingency Fund for Emergencies" in order to contain the outbreak as soon as possible before it spreads further. In our increasingly connected world, detecting and controlling outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases is a global responsibility, and coordinated co-financing is more important than ever.

Since 2014, the United States has been contributing to a global coalition to strengthen the ability of partner countries to prevent, detect, and respond to epidemic threats through the Global Health Security Agenda. As part of this effort, the United States has been investing $1 billion over five years with a goal of building local capacity to respond to health crises at the country level and help nations comply with their obligations under the International Health Regulations (2005).