WHO Director General Appeals for Community Cooperation to Contain DRC Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization director general said containing the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo requires community cooperation and is “everybody’s business.” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the statement on Sunday during a visit to Bunia in Ituri province. Some residents have protested against medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies.

“We can stop this Ebola and anyone who has it can also recover,” Ghebreyesus said at the opening of a treatment centre. ” There is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus strain, but infected people can recover if they seek care early, he added. Five patients have recovered and four were scheduled for discharge on Sunday.

The organization has recorded 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths in the DRC. Authorities in neighbouring Uganda have confirmed nine cases and one death.

Fighting between armed groups in Ituri has complicated relief efforts. ” Brazilian health authorities are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection. One case involves a 37-year-old man from the DRC in São Paulo state; another involves a man from Uganda in Rio de Janeiro state.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said national incident systems must be activated rapidly. Its director general wrote that international support is most effective when aligned with African institutions and governments. Médecins Sans Frontières warned on Saturday that the disease’s spread is alarming and that hundreds of samples remain untested.

Health officials have reported shortages of basic supplies such as masks. Medical aid from the European Union reached Ituri last week. Additional funding commitments have also been announced by other donors.