The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) travelled to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday (30 May), urging communities to seek medical care quickly and follow safe burial practices as authorities work to contain a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, where the first cases of the latest outbreak were confirmed earlier this month. The visit came amid concerns that the spread of the disease is moving faster than the international response.
The outbreak is the third-largest since Ebola was first identified nearly 50 years ago.
Speaking alongside Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba, Tedros stressed the importance of early treatment. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
"Seeking care early makes a real difference," Tedros said.
Health experts say supportive treatment, including isolation, rehydration and pain management, can improve patients' chances of survival.
Tedros also appealed to residents to follow safe burial procedures. Ebola can remain highly contagious after death, making traditional funeral practices a significant risk.
"I understand how painful it is to lose someone and how much it means to honour them properly," he said.
"While we grieve for those we have lost, we must do everything we can so that we do not lose another."
Authorities have reported several attacks on health facilities by crowds attempting to recover the bodies of relatives for traditional burials. Such ceremonies often involve direct contact with the deceased, increasing the risk of transmission.
The WHO said on Friday that 906 suspected Ebola cases had been reported, including 223 suspected deaths under investigation. Congo's health ministry later said it had identified 1,028 suspected cases, of which 225 had been confirmed.
Aid agencies and health workers say the response is being hampered by shortages of basic equipment, including protective masks. They also say the outbreak spread undetected for several weeks before being formally declared.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned on Saturday that the current response remains insufficient.
"Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration," said Dr. Alan Gonzalez, MSF's deputy director of operations.
"Like everyone in the affected areas, MSF teams are witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic."
Gonzalez said the number of organisations operating in affected communities and the level of support available remain well below what is needed.
Tedros had already called for greater international assistance upon arriving in Kinshasa on Thursday. He said the WHO had received only around one-third of the funding required for the emergency response.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said earlier this week that some initial funding commitments had been reduced as donors reassessed their contributions.
The outbreak has now spread across three provinces in Congo and has also reached neighbouring Uganda, which this week closed its border with Congo as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, authorities in Brazil said they were investigating a suspected Ebola case in São Paulo state involving a man who had recently travelled to Congo. The patient has been placed in isolation at a specialist hospital while tests are carried out.
Despite growing concern, Congolese officials insist the situation remains under control.
Speaking in Bunia on Saturday, Health Minister Kamba rejected suggestions that the outbreak was overwhelming the country's health system. He said testing capacity was sufficient, although MSF reported that hundreds of samples were still awaiting analysis.
Kamba pointed to Congo's long experience in managing Ebola outbreaks, including a smaller outbreak last year, as evidence that the country is capable of bringing the disease under control.
"We have experience with epidemics. We defeated Ebola last year," he said.
"We tell you, trust us, we know what we are doing."
Officials have also urged neighbouring countries to keep their borders open while health authorities continue efforts to contain the outbreak.
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