TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo late on Thursday in a show of support for the country as it struggles to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak, DW reported.
“I want you to know that you are not alone,” Tedros said in a message posted on X, addressing the Congolese people directly.
“Together, we will overcome this outbreak,” he said, adding that he and the United Nations would do “everything in my power to help you.”
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has led to around 220 suspected deaths and 900 cases. The virus has also spread to neighboring Uganda, where authorities have reported seven suspected cases.
WHO health officials believe the true scale of the outbreak could be significantly larger, as the virus is thought to have circulated undetected for some time.
The worsening situation in Congo prompted Uganda to close its border “with immediate effect,” despite warnings from the WHO that such restrictions could backfire and potentially contribute to the spread of the disease.
Tedros said both he and the UN did not support travel bans as a means of combating the outbreak because they “don’t help much.”
Calls to make a vaccine happen
The current outbreak marks the 17th Ebola outbreak recorded in Congo, a country with a population of more than 100 million people.
Efforts to contain the disease have been complicated by the fact that the epicenter of the outbreak lies in the country’s eastern region, an area rich in minerals that has been plagued by violence and instability involving armed groups competing for power for more than three decades.
“Conflict and displacement make everything harder,” Tedros said. “I am making a direct appeal to all warring parties in this region: please, declare a ceasefire.”
Regional health authorities are racing to contain the outbreak, while the head of the African Union’s health agency said on Thursday that a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain could be available by the end of this year.
“What we can tell you for sure, by the end of this year, 2026, Africa CDC will make sure that we have a vaccine and medicine against Bundibugyo,” said Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our leaders are ready to invest. We are investing at technical level, at a strategic level, to make sure that (the vaccine) will happen,” he added.
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