The head of the World Health Organization has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to help tackle the Ebola outbreak there, as Uganda closed its border with its neighbour in an effort to stop the spread.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on social media that the region was in the midst of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict” with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response. The number of suspected cases in eastern DRC is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths. In Uganda, there are seven confirmed cases and one death.
Aid groups are rushing staff and equipment to eastern DRC but attacks on medics due to community distrust have hampered efforts. The response has also been hindered by attacks on health facilities by people wanting authorities to release Ebola victims’ bodies for burial. A doctor in Butembo reported critical shortages of body bags, soap, chlorine and personal protective gear, and said foreign aid cuts to international and local NGOs were partly to blame.
Tedros said: “Stopping this Ebola transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access. Yet ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors. We urge all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak.”
