The World Health Organization (WHO) Chief has said he swears that the Ebola outbreak “can be stopped.” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, proclaiming that the spread of this disease can be stopped, so long as warring faction lay down their weapons and commit to a ceasefire.
Ghebreyesus added that no conflict is worth condemning people to death over a preventable disease, accoridng to a report by The Guardian. That means humanitarian efforts should be a first step toward containment. He solidified his stance when writing on X on Wednesday, saying, “Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” said Ghebreyesus, the WHO chief.
“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” Tedros insisted. “We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak. To allow us safe and sustained access for medical teams. We plea to prioritize human survival above everything else.”
“Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response,” Tedros said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The WHO has recorded at least 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths in the country since mid-May. The global organization has also recorded over 1000 suspected cases since the DRC declared the outbreak on May 15th. The United Nations health agency said the true spread of the virus was probably much more broad that the numbers suggest.
War and displacement are making tracking, tracing, and quarantine difficult. Uganda just closed its borders with the DRC as suspected cases continue to rise.
Uganda Closes Borders To DRC As Suspected Ebola Cases Are Now Over 1000
Al Jazeera reported that only authorized response teams, humanitarian operators, and food and cargo transporters will be allowed to cross. These crossings will also be subject to strict health screenings. Any person returning from the DRC to the country will undergo a mandatory self-isolation for 21 days, the ministry said.
Schools in border districts will remain open, it added.
The strain of Ebola circulating in the DRC, called the Bundibugyo virus, currently has “no approved vaccine nor treatment,” Ghebreyesus said. “Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access,” he added.