DRC Faces 'Catastrophic Collision' of Conflict and Ebola Outbreak, WHO Warns
The WHO said 10 confirmed deaths and 220 suspected deaths have been recorded since mid-May as clashes block containment efforts.
- On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that conflict raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was dramatically complicating efforts to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak, describing it as a 'catastrophic collision of disease and conflict.'
- Eastern DRC has endured three decades of conflict involving armed groups, leaving Ituri province with largely absent state services and under military rule since 2021, conditions that Ghebreyesus said make containment 'extremely difficult.'
- The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed Ebola deaths and 220 suspected deaths since mid-May, with 900 additional suspected cases; only 17 deaths have been lab-confirmed, while approximately 3,600 people have had contact with infected individuals.
- Fighting between the Congolese military and rebel groups is displacing populations into overcrowded camps and severing containment corridors, while attacks on health facilities prevent case tracking and force frontline workers to operate under extreme risk.
- Without an approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, containment depends entirely on humanitarian access; the WHO recently raised the risk level to 'very high,' prompting travel bans from the United States, Canada, Uganda, and South Sudan.
54 Articles
54 Articles
WHO chief says deadly Ebola outbreak in DR Congo can be stopped
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed more than 200 people, can still be contained despite conflict in the country's east. He also urged armed groups to declare a ceasefire as aid and medical support continue to arrive.
Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo Spirals Amid Conflict, WHO Warns of "Catastrophic Collision"
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not only facing the recurring threat of Ebola, which has persisted for decades. As tensions rise due to ongoing armed conflict, the increasingly dangerous situation is crippling outbreak response efforts and blocking humanitarian access, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
WHO DG heading to Ebola-hit DR Congo
The World Health Organization’s chief said Thursday he was heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support colleagues battling a deadly Ebola outbreak, voicing confidence they would defeat the virus. According to its latest figures up to May 24, the WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. WHO director-gene…
WHO calls for ceasefire in DR Congo to contain Ebola
The WHO has warned that ongoing conflict in eastern DRC is severely hampering efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described it as “a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict.”
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