The World Health Organization (WHO) chief has warned that the conflict raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was dramatically complicating efforts to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak and urged an immediate ceasefire.
“Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X on Wednesday.
The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths in DRC since mid-May, while also recording a further 900 suspected cases since Kinshasa declared the outbreak on May 15.
The United Nations’ health agency said the true spread of the virus was probably much wider. Experts have said it was probably circulating for some time.
Tedros stressed that the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that is spreading in the DRC had “no approved vaccine nor treatment”.
“Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” he said.
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