WHO Director-General goes directly to the Ebola outbreak center in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

SKĐS - WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has personally visited Ituri province, the capital of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently the "epicenter" of the recent Ebola outbreak.

Given the unprecedented rate of Ebola spread, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, personally visited Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – currently the epicenter of the outbreak.

The trip took place on May 30th, immediately after Tedros concluded his talks with the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, in the capital Kinshasa. As part of the inspection, the WHO head will examine treatment centers, meet with local authorities, frontline healthcare workers, and families affected by the pandemic.

The day before, Tedros had emphasized that the best response at this time was to "focus and provide all necessary resources and support right at the epicenter of the outbreak."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Bunia, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, today (May 30). Photo: WHO RDC

According to the latest figures from the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country has recorded more than 1,000 suspected cases and hundreds of deaths from Ebola. This dangerous disease has also begun to spread to neighboring Uganda, with 9 confirmed positive cases, including one death.

The virus strain involved in this outbreak has been identified as Bundibugyo – an extremely dangerous variant for which there is currently no officially approved vaccine or specific treatment. Although the Democratic Republic of Congo has successfully controlled many previous Ebola outbreaks, the rapid rate of spread this time is causing great concern among international organizations.

Dr. Alan Gonzalez of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that history has never recorded an Ebola outbreak with such a worrying surge in cases in the first few days after its announcement. The MSF representative also noted that the actual scale of the outbreak could be much larger than the statistics due to limited testing capacity and the ongoing armed conflict in the region.

Ebola has not only appeared in Ituri, but also in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo – areas where the M23 rebel group controls many important territories. The fact that millions of refugees are living in makeshift camps with poor sanitary conditions further increases the risk of a widespread outbreak.

In this dire situation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on local communities to proactively and actively participate in the fight against the pandemic, while emphasizing the crucial leadership role of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the close support of the international community.

The head of the WHO also frankly shared that the organization has only received about one-third of the necessary funding, urging countries to increase financial support instead of imposing border closures. According to him, border closures not only fail to contain the epidemic but also reduce transparency in information control.

Health experts also warned that without immediately expanding testing, accelerating the deployment of personnel, and ensuring continuous access to aid, this Ebola outbreak risks spiraling out of control, plunging a region already unstable for decades into an even worse humanitarian tragedy.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/tong-giam-doc-who-vao-thang-tam-dich-ebola-tai-chdc-congo-169260530202232606.htm