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DR Congo Ebola outbreak ‘far from being under control’—WHO chief
🇯🇲 Jamaica /Health & Science

DR Congo Ebola outbreak ‘far from being under control’—WHO chief

From Jamaica Observer · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The head of the World Health Organization warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is "far from being under control."
  • The outbreak has killed over 2,300 people out of nearly 5,000 cases, making it the deadliest in the DRC's history.
  • The WHO chief cited insecurity, displacement, and population movement as factors fueling the epidemic's rapid spread.

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading at an unprecedented speed and poses a significant risk of international expansion, the head of the World Health Organization warned Tuesday. "We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at an emergency meeting.

We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusThe WHO Director-General expressed the severity of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC during an emergency meeting.

Tedros described the outbreak as having a "big head start," with health officials still struggling to catch up. As of Monday, the DRC reported over 2,300 deaths from nearly 5,000 cases, marking it as the country's most lethal Ebola outbreak. Declared on May 15, the current outbreak is believed to have been active for weeks prior, affecting regions with weak state presence, limited health infrastructure, and the presence of numerous armed groups.

It had a big head start, and we are still playing catch-up.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusTedros described the challenge health officials face in containing the rapidly spreading epidemic.

"The outbreak is being fuelled by insecurity and displacement, and intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes," Tedros stated. He urged governments to cooperate and announced that new recommendations would be issued to the DRC and at-risk neighboring countries. The virus, which spreads through bodily fluids and causes hemorrhagic fever, is moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak, according to the WHO chief.

The outbreak is being fuelled by insecurity and displacement, and intense population movement along roads, rivers and mining routes.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusThe WHO chief identified key factors contributing to the epidemic's rapid spread.

Three months into the epidemic, the DRC has recorded seven times more cases and five times more deaths than during the initial phase of the 2013-2016 West Africa outbreak, which claimed over 11,300 lives. The WHO emergency committee, which previously declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, is assessing the risk as "very high" nationally in the DRC and "high" for Uganda and other bordering nations. The risk of further national and international spread remains high, Tedros cautioned, noting particular concern about where people are dying – often at home.

The risk of further national and international spread remains high.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusTedros warned about the potential for the Ebola outbreak to spread beyond the DRC's borders.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jamaica Observer. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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