Ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering the Ebola outbreak response, the head of the World Health Organization has warned.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the east of the country was at the center of a "catastrophic collision of disease and conflict" with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response.
In a statement, Tedros said the WHO "cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling."
Reuters
There have been 220 suspected deaths since the outbreak was declared. Only 17 have been confirmed by lab tests.
Aid workers are struggling due to poor road conditions, conflict, mass displacement, and international aid cuts. Ituri has been under military rule since 2021.
Tedros said stopping transmission depends entirely on humanitarian access, but ongoing clashes are driving mass displacement, pushing contacts into overcrowded camps, and severing containment corridors.
He called on all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
Concerns over the outbreak's spread have spurred travel restrictions. Canada announced a 90-day entry ban on residents from DR Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. The Bahamas imposed quarantine measures. Last week, the U.S. banned non-citizens who had traveled to those countries.
This outbreak is a rare Ebola species, known as Bundibugyo, for which there are no vaccines or medicines.
Around 3,600 people identified as contacts are being traced. Experimental treatments, including a U.S.-developed antibody, could be introduced soon.
MSF Director in DR Congo Ewald Stals said medical teams are still far from controlling the situation. "We do not have a full picture of what is happening... the virus is still ahead of us," he said.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control announced it will increase its presence on the ground.