UN Health Chief Visits Ebola-Hit Area in DRC
United Nations Health Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on Saturday in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is experiencing a severe Ebola outbreak, as reported by an AFP journalist.
Speaking to reporters in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, Ghebreyesus stated that while the international community is providing support to the Congolese government, “community ownership is also important.” He emphasized this was the main purpose of his visit: “We’re here to talk to the community and see how the response is progressing and if there are any challenges that we can help with.”
This highly contagious hemorrhagic fever has already emerged in three eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and into Uganda, with nine confirmed cases and one death reported. The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday that since the outbreak was declared on May 15, there have been at least 1,077 suspected cases, resulting in 246 deaths.
It is believed that the actual scale of the outbreak was more extensive before it was officially recognized, and the WHO has cautioned that it might still be more widespread than currently understood. The DRC, a vast and unstable country, has been mired in conflict for three decades, and its capacity for conducting laboratory tests to confirm Ebola cases is quite limited.
In response to the outbreak, Uganda has closed its border with the DRC and mandated a 21-day quarantine for anyone entering from the country. On Friday, the WHO confirmed that a patient had recovered and was discharged into the community after two negative tests.
Anais Legan from the WHO reported this individual as the “first” confirmed case in the outbreak. Ebola, primarily spread through close contact and body fluids, has led to the deaths of over 15,000 people in Africa in the last 50 years.
The deadliest outbreak recorded in the DRC lasted from 2018 to 2020, infecting 3,500 individuals, with nearly 2,300 fatalities. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) noted that the number of cases in the early days of this outbreak is unprecedented.
The deployment of medical professionals in the region remains inadequate. State services are largely absent in Ituri, where access is limited due to security concerns linked to Islamic State-affiliated ADF militants and various militias that pose threats to civilians.
Further complicating matters, Ebola cases have also been reported in the neighboring North and South Kivu provinces, which have experienced ongoing violence for decades. Much of the region is controlled by the armed group M23 with support from Rwanda, which continues to clash with government forces.
Displacement due to conflict is severe, with millions living in camps characterized by poor sanitation. Nearly one million displaced people reside in Ituri province, raising worries about the potential spread of infection in those camps. One resident, Dorcas Mapenzi, expressed concern: “If Ebola comes, we will be packed like sardines and wiped out.”
Currently, there is no specific vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for this outbreak. However, the director of CDC Africa indicated that a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year.
