World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has appealed to countries that have enforced travel bans or border closures in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda to rethink their actions. Tedros emphasized during a joint press conference in Bunia, the epicenter of the outbreak, that such measures could complicate response efforts and undermine transparency and trust crucial for saving lives. He highlighted the importance of timely, quality medical care for patients to recover, despite the absence of approved vaccines and specific medicines.
Tedros’ visit to Bunia aimed to directly engage with the affected communities amidst over 1000 suspected cases reported in the region. Uganda has confirmed nine cases, with two new infections detected in Kampala, according to the Ugandan health ministry. DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba expressed optimism in containing and ending the outbreak within “four to six months,” focusing on the affected provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu to prevent further spread of the virus.
Kamba also noted the country’s enhanced laboratory testing capacity, with no backlog of samples remaining. Out of approximately 900 tested samples, around 260 were positive, indicating the country’s ability to process all incoming samples efficiently, even with an increase in daily testing to 200 or 300 samples.
