Workers unload boxes of emergency medical supplies from a cargo plane at an airport in Bunia, DRC, to support the Ebola response. Workers wear vests from the World Food Programme and WHO. © WHO Supplies to bolster the response against the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province arrive in the town of Bunia.
There are more than 900 suspected cases of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 220 suspected deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Monday. The latest outbreak of the deadly disease, which WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spreading faster than health workers can contain it.
In the DRC, the epicentre of the outbreak, WHO has upgraded its national risk assessment from high to very high, and neighbouring countries – including Uganda, where five cases and one death have been confirmed – are at especially high risk.
Treatment centres in eastern DRC set alight
However, efforts are being hampered, especially in the troubled east of the DRC, by the local community’s distrust of outside authorities, which is significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission. In recent days, two treatment centres were set on fire in the region, which has been beset by intense fighting, causing the displacement of more than 100,000 people.
Marie Roseline Belizaire, Director of Emergency Response for WHO Africa, told UN News that the attacks are linked to misinformation campaigns circulating on social media, which are significantly slowing case investigations and limiting the ability of healthcare teams to reach affected communities.
Source: The UN
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