WHO Chief Urges Community Leadership in DRC Ebola Fight

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called on communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to actively participate in the fight against the ongoing Ebola epidemic. During a visit to Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province and the current epicenter of the outbreak, Ghebreyesus emphasized the critical role local populations must play.

"Communities understand these problems better and know how to solve them," Ghebreyesus stated in Bunia. He acknowledged the involvement of the international community and the DRC government but stressed the importance of local ownership. "It is important that local communities take responsibility for these activities and adopt them," he added, explaining his presence was to discuss the response and offer assistance where needed.

The WHO chief arrived in the DRC on Thursday to coordinate the response. Since the epidemic was declared on May 15, authorities have recorded at least 1,028 suspected cases. The virus has now spread across three provinces within the DRC and has also reached neighboring Uganda, where nine confirmed cases, including one death, have been reported.

Earlier, Ghebreyesus had urged for greater international support, noting that the WHO had only received one-third of its required funding for the epidemic response. Meanwhile, organizations like Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have warned that the current outbreak, the 17th since 1976, is spreading at an unprecedented rate. MSF highlighted that the number of responding health organizations still falls far short of the required standards.