Dubai's emergency response centre has sent 72.5 tonnes of aid to Uganda to support the continuing emergency response efforts to the Ebola outbreak.
The relief supplies from Dubai Humanitarian include water purification tablets to protection against disease, mobile storage units, generators to power treatment sites without reliable electricity, and tarpaulins to provide shelter for patients and medical teams, Dubai Media Office reported on Tuesday.
The aid is bound for people across the border in DR Congo who are affected by the outbreak. The latest batch of relief supplies represents the fourth shipment to Uganda from Dubai Humanitarian as part of the Ebola response.
“Four airlifts in, this operation shows what steady leadership and clear vision can achieve,” said Giuseppe Saba, chief executive and board member of Dubai Humanitarian. “The United Arab Emirates and the Government of Dubai have made sure that when our partners need to move relief, they can, and that is exactly what a response to an outbreak like this demands.
“None of this cargo means much sitting in a warehouse. It only matters once it reaches the people using it: a nurse setting up a treatment unit, a family boiling water they can now trust. That is what today's flight was really about and it is why Dubai Humanitarian keeps showing up for this response, facilitating shipment after shipment.”
The outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola was announced on May 15, although officials have since said it went undetected for weeks, complicating efforts to bring it under control.
