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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Health & Science

DRC Ebola Outbreak is Fastest-Spreading Ever, UN Warns: One Death Every 30 Minutes

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The UN warns that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the fastest-spreading on record, with one death every 30 minutes.
  • Over 4,500 cases and 2,128 deaths have been confirmed since the outbreak began on May 15.
  • The UN calls for increased international aid, stating current resources are insufficient to double personnel and triple treatment capacity.

The United Nations has issued a stark warning regarding the Ebola epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, declaring it the fastest-spreading outbreak in recorded history. Officials report that a person is dying from the virus every 30 minutes.

This is the fastest-spreading epidemic on record.

— Tom FletcherUN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordination (OCHA) describing the severity of the Ebola outbreak.

Since the outbreak was officially declared on May 15, confirmed cases have surpassed 4,500, with a death toll of at least 2,128. The UN had previously cautioned that this epidemic could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak to date. Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordination (OCHA), emphasized the urgent need for a swift, large-scale, and unified international response.

We need to act with speed, scale, and solidarity to stay ahead of the virus.

— Tom FletcherFletcher calling for a robust international response to the Ebola epidemic.

The virus has now spread across six provinces within the DRC and has reached neighboring Uganda. Cases have also been reported near the border with South Sudan. Fletcher warned that Ebola is gaining the upper hand in the DRC, and the international response must not lag behind the virus's rapid advance.

Ebola is winning in the DRC, and we cannot let the virus outpace our response.

— Tom FletcherFletcher highlighting the urgency of the situation and the need for a faster response.

While international donors have contributed nearly $300 million, and the UN emergency fund has allocated an additional $30.5 million, Fletcher stated that current efforts are insufficient. He called for a doubling of personnel, a tripling of treatment capacity, enhanced contact tracing, and more experienced management personnel. The region also faces immense needs for basic services like clean water, sanitation, and healthcare. Fletcher urged the global community to "wake up and step up."

The world must wake up and step up.

— Tom FletcherFletcher's final plea for greater global commitment to combating the Ebola outbreak.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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