Attachments
Highlights
• On 13 August 2019, the Burundi Ministry of Public Health and AIDS control (MoH) kicked off the immunization campaign against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) for front-line workers.
• Construction work on the Ebola treatment centre for Mudubugu,
Bubanza Province, is being finalized.
• The national contingency plan was revised in June 2019 and covers activities until the end of December 2019 estimated at US$ 11.5 million. As of 20 August, the remaining gap is US$9.78 million. Of this,
UNICEF is appealing for approximately US$ 2 million.
• UNICEF Burundi has been actively involved in preparedness efforts since the outbreak in DRC in August 2018 with a focus on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)/WASH and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE).
Situation Overview
Humanitarian Leadership and Coordination
Government preparedness
A National Ebola Taskforce (NTF) has been set up under the leadership of the MoH, and in collaboration with relevant government departs, WHO and other UN agencies (UNICEF, IOM, UNHCR, WFP, OCHA), donors (World Bank, USAID, DFID) and NGOs (ICRC, MSF-OCB). This taskforce coordinates the EVD preparedness and response planning (National Contingency Plan, Centralized Operational Plan, District Micro-Operational Plans etc.). In May 2019, thematic groups were established and re-structured in line with the EVD pillars: surveillance, case management, laboratory, IPC/WASH, communication and community engagement and logistics. The different coordination fora are meant to meet on a weekly basis, however, the last NTF meeting was held in June. In June, the members of the NTF revised the national plan through the development of costed plans per pillar for preparedness activities until 31 December 2019. The needs identified in these plans for the next six months were estimated at US$ 11.5 million. Resource mobilization and reallocation of funding have reduced the gap to US$ 9.78 million as of 8 August, with approximately US$ 3 million needed for the case management/IPC/WASH pillar.
Partner support for EVD preparedness
UN agencies, including UNICEF, operate within the government coordination and response structures. WHO has been convening weekly strategic EVD coordination meetings at the national level with UN agencies, donors, cooperation bodies and NGOs. EVD UN technical meetings are also called on a weekly basis for the implementation and monitoring of the CERF. This fund was allocated in February 2019 and UNICEF received US $600,000. Ad hoc meetings and working sessions with UN agencies and NGOs are also convened by WHO as needed.
UNICEF actively participates in and provides technical support to the NTF and several sub-committees, such as IPC/WASH, Case Management, Logistics and Communication/Community Engagement (as a co-lead). There are also numerous multisectoral coordination structures provided by UNICEF at the national level, which can be used in responding to an EVD outbreak. Other existing UNICEF led coordination groups such as WASH, Child Protection and Education sectors have included preparedness and surveillance as a standing item in all meetings.