WHO Director-General visits Congo amid Ebola outbreak.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country battling a severe Ebola outbreak.

The outbreak began in Ituri province in northeastern Congo about two weeks ago. This outbreak has claimed 223 lives and resulted in 906 suspected cases, according to WHO estimates.

Mr. Ghebreyesus met with senior officials and expressed confidence that the country is fully capable of containing the latest outbreak. The WHO head warned other countries against closing borders and restricting travel, which some countries in the region have already done, arguing that such measures only "hinder the identification of cases."

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is welcomed at Bunia Airport in Bunia, Congo. Photo: SEM.

"The Democratic Republic of Congo has faced Ebola 16 times before and has contained every outbreak. This is the 17th outbreak. This makes me really confident that Congo will overcome this epidemic," Ghebreyesus said at a press conference alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo's Minister of Health, Roger Kamba.

The WHO Director-General urged local residents to exercise caution when burying victims during the outbreak and to seek medical assistance early if they experience symptoms.

However, the WHO head's optimism has been met with skepticism from independent observers and humanitarian organizations. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) pointed to the unusually rapid spread of the disease, saying their teams on the ground had witnessed "a response that was not commensurate with the rapid spread of the disease."

"Two weeks after the Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri province, the situation is alarming and causing concern among the community and frontline healthcare workers. No Ebola outbreak has ever seen such a rapid increase in cases after a declaration," said MSF Deputy Director of Operations Alan Gonzalez, warning that "no one is aware of the true scale and severity of this outbreak."

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) earlier this week released a slightly higher estimate than those published by the WHO, reporting 1,077 suspected cases and 246 deaths as of May 28.

The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare and potentially deadly variant with a mortality rate of 25-50%. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain. The virus is believed to spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/tong-giam-doc-who-tham-congo-giua-luc-dich-ebola-bung-phat-d814046.html