Ebola in DRC: WHO chief issues urgent appeal as the epidemic overwhelms response capacity

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited the Congolese province hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak on Saturday to encourage people to seek medical help promptly if they experience symptoms and to adhere to safe burial practices. This visit comes as authorities attempt to contain what has become one of the largest outbreaks of the disease in the country.

After a stop in Kinshasa and a meeting with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Tedros traveled to Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, where the first cases were confirmed earlier this month. The current outbreak is the 17th recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the virus was discovered approximately 50 years ago, and the third largest in its history.

During a press conference alongside the Congolese Minister of Health, the WHO chief emphasized that the Bundibugyo strain responsible for this outbreak currently has neither an approved vaccine nor a validated specific treatment. In this context, early patient management, including isolation, rehydration, and symptom management, is considered essential to improving the chances of survival.

Tedros also emphasized the importance of safe burials, as traditional funeral rites can facilitate the transmission of the virus. Health authorities are therefore seeking to convince local communities to adopt preventative measures that are sometimes difficult to accept in certain affected areas.

The Congolese Minister of Health, however, assured the public that the situation was not "out of control," even though several humanitarian organizations are concerned about the pace of the response. The medical NGO Doctors Without Borders, in particular, believes that the resources currently mobilized remain insufficient given the scale of the outbreak.

The concern now extends beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Brazil announced on Saturday that it is investigating a suspected case of Ebola involving a man who recently returned from the DRC. Brazilian authorities stated that the patient has been placed in isolation in a specialized facility while the necessary tests are carried out.