WHO Chief Urges Trust-Based Response as Ebola Spreads in Congo
The head of the World Health Organization visited Bunia in Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday as authorities and aid groups confront a growing Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form with no approved vaccine or treatment.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Congo has ended 16 previous Ebola outbreaks and expressed confidence it can stop this one, while warning that the response must move faster. WHO reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.
Tedros emphasized two priorities: building community trust and conducting safe burials. Handling the bodies of people who died from Ebola can transmit the virus, but strict burial protocols have generated anger in some communities because they conflict with local rites. Health centres have faced at least three attacks, adding to risks for medical workers.
The response is also complicated by insecurity in Ituri province and neighbouring areas, where armed groups operate, and by cases reported in North Kivu and South Kivu. Médecins Sans Frontières said the outbreak is spreading unusually quickly and called for more testing, faster deployment of aid workers and reliable access for supplies. European Union medical aid has arrived in Bunia, and the United States has announced additional funding, bringing its pledge above $112 million US.
Tedros also urged governments to reconsider travel bans and border closures, saying they can discourage countries from reporting outbreaks openly. Uganda and Rwanda have closed borders, and the United States has restricted entry for some recent travellers from affected countries.
Officials and aid organizations say containment will depend on speed, security and public co-operation. Tedros said responders must listen to communities while explaining practices needed to limit transmission, particularly around care for the sick and burial of the dead.