WHO chief says Congo Ebola outbreak can be stopped as deaths mount
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus heads to Ituri province where the epidemic is centered and calls for a halt to fighting that hinders medical relief efforts
The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be stopped, the World Health Organization (WHO) head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated upon arriving in Kinshasa.
Tedros arrived in the DRC on Thursday evening and was scheduled to travel on Friday to Ituri province in the northeast, where the epidemic is concentrated.
“Together, we will overcome this outbreak,” he stated earlier, pledging to do “everything in my power to help you.”
The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared on May 15, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases, according to its figures as of May 24, the latest available.
The true spread of the virus is likely much wider as it is believed to have circulated under the radar for some time, the WHO has warned.
This is the 17th recorded Ebola outbreak in the large central African country, which has a population of more than 100 million people.
Complicating medical relief efforts, the epidemic is centered in a mineral-rich region contested by armed groups. “Conflict and displacement make everything harder,” Tedros said. “I am making a direct appeal to all warring parties in this region: please, declare a ceasefire.
“No cause, no conflict, no grievance is worth condemning innocent people to death from a preventable disease.”
No vaccine or treatment yet exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola causing the current outbreak. The WHO said on Thursday that its advisory groups had recommended clinical trials for vaccines and treatments.
The head of the African Union’s health agency, Jean Kaseya, stated on Thursday that a vaccine should be ready by the end of the year.
Neighboring Uganda, with one recorded death from Ebola and six additional cases, announced it was closing its border with the DRC with immediate effect.
The US stated it would deny entry to anyone infected and was working to open a treatment facility for affected US citizens in Kenya. A Kenyan rights group has gone to court seeking to limit operations at any such facility, while health officials have warned it could burden Kenya’s strained health system.
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in the DRC claimed nearly 2,300 lives out of 3,500 cases between 2018 and 2020.
The WHO said it had received 4.6 tonnes of aid at the airport in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, while Unicef, the UN children’s agency, stated it was sending 100 tonnes of aid to the DRC.
World Affairs Correspondent
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