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WHO chief: DR Congo faces 'catastrophic collision' of Ebola and war
🇯🇲 Jamaica /Health & Science

WHO chief: DR Congo faces 'catastrophic collision' of Ebola and war

From Jamaica Observer · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The World Health Organization chief warned that conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is severely hindering efforts to control an Ebola outbreak.
  • The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths since mid-May, with the true spread likely much wider.
  • The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola spreading in DRC has no approved vaccine or treatment, making humanitarian access critical for containment.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a "catastrophic collision" of disease and conflict, with a deadly Ebola outbreak severely complicated by ongoing violence, the head of the World Health Organization warned Wednesday.

Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describing the dire situation in eastern DRC.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief, stated that the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province is outpacing response efforts. Since mid-May, the WHO has recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths, though the UN health agency believes the actual number of cases is significantly higher, with experts suggesting the virus may have been circulating for some time.

Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the critical need for access to contain the Ebola outbreak.

The specific strain of Ebola affecting DRC, the Bundibugyo strain, lacks an approved vaccine or treatment. Tedros emphasized that controlling the outbreak hinges entirely on humanitarian access, which is severely obstructed by the pervasive insecurity in eastern DRC. This region has been plagued by decades of conflict involving numerous armed groups, and state services in rural areas have been largely absent.

Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus detailing the challenges faced by health workers in DRC.

Clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing potential contacts into overcrowded camps, and disrupting critical containment corridors. Tedros highlighted the immense risks faced by frontline workers and noted that attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and contacts nearly impossible. "We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling," he insisted, appealing for an immediate ceasefire to allow medical teams safe and sustained access. "We plea to prioritise human survival above everything else."

We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the impact of conflict on public health efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jamaica Observer in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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